236 E. Foothill Blvd., Suite C | Arcadia, CA 91006
(626) 755-4059 | sabigail@protonmail.com

S. Abigail McCarrel, LCSW, DCSW

  • Home
  • About
    • Meet Abby
    • Services
    • Client Forms
    • Credentials:
    • FAQs
    • Rates & Insurance
    • Good Faith Estimate Notice
  • Specialties
    • Brain-Based, Parent Coaching Therapy
    • Online Therapy for Parents and Families
    • Family Therapy for Gifted Children
    • Counseling for Gifted Students’ Parents
    • Family Therapy: When Bad Stuff Happens
    • Post-Adoption Family Therapy
  • Contact Abby
  • Family Therapy Blog
  • Media

Overcoming Generational Trauma

July 18, 2022 by BBYMCCRRL75216 Leave a Comment

You know you got your hairline from your Dad’s side of the family and your eye color from your mom. You know diabetes runs in your family, as does heart disease and Parkinson’s.

But do you know that many families also pass down trauma to their loved ones? It’s not just our physical makeup and risk of disease that we inherit from our family, it is also the emotional wounds as well.

What is Transgenerational Trauma?

Before you were born you were in your mother’s womb and very susceptible to her emotions. As your mother felt joy, her body released hormones that made you feel joy.

When she felt sad, scared, or angry, her body released hormones that made her experience these same emotions.

Eventually, you were born and raised in a house that may not always be happy or harmonious. Your parents may have been emotionally distant or even abusive because they may have been brought up by parents who had their own reasons for being emotionally absent or abusive.

Many families have unresolved trauma that works its way through one generation to the next. Those families who have dealt with addiction, depression, anxiety, terror, racism, and the like, often continue to pass on negative emotions, poor behaviors, low self-esteem, and maladaptive coping strategies. These not only lead to a painful and hard life, but they can also lead to chronic health conditions.

It Can Stop With You!

If you have a history of family conflict or trauma, you can be the individual who puts an end to the cycle. You can be the one who begins a new cycle, one of passing down loving communication and positive self-images. 

Of course, it will take work on your part to overcome the pain of your family history. That’s why it’s a good idea to work with a mental health professional who can offer you the right tools and coping strategies that you can then pass down to your own children.

If you’re interested in exploring therapy, please get in touch with me! I’d love to help you end the cycle of trauma in your family.

SOURCES:

  • https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-flourishing-family/202107/breaking-the-chains-generational-trauma
  • https://tinybuddha.com/blog/overcoming-intergenerational-trauma-we-can-break-the-cycle-of-abuse/
  • https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/latinx-mental-health-stigma

Share this:

  • Twitter
  • Facebook

Filed Under: trauma

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

S. Abigail McCarrel, LCSW, DCSW



Phone: (626) 755-4059
sabigail@protonmail.com
Contact Abby

S. Abigail McCarrel, LCSW, DCSW

Phone: (626) 755-4059 sabigail@protonmail.com

Address
236 E. Foothill Blvd., Ste, C
Arcadia, CA19006

S. Abigail McCarrel : Welcome Home Family Therapy


The way we talk to our children becomes their inner voice

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest

Proud Member of TherapyDen

Get Started

Click on the button below to schedule a free 20 minute phone consultation with S. Abigail McCarrel, LCSW, DCSW.

Contact Abby

Privacy Policy
A Website by Brighter Vision