effects of intergenerational trauma on decision making

In the context of trauma, some research has suggested that traumatic experiences can result in epigenetic changes, altering how genes associated with stress response function. Importantly, unlike genetic changes, these changes might be reversible and don’t change your DNA sequence, but they can change how your body “reads” a DNA sequence. Traumatic experiences can lead our bodies to read our DNA differently and these changes can be passed on to our children.Įpigenetics studies how behavior and environment can cause changes in the way genes work. Our bodies ‘read’ our DNA based on our experiences. But the way you read the book, the pages you linger on, the ones you skip, that’s epigenetics. The words in the book, the story it tells, that’s your DNA. The Science of Suffering: Epigenetics and Trauma Transmission This essay underscores the transformative potential of generational trauma and its profound implications for our society. Through my personal journey, I aim to expose how generational trauma, etched into one’s identity, can inspire purpose and leadership. Despite the challenges of their inherited trauma, they show remarkable resilience and effective coping strategies. They resonate with their followers through visionary, transparent, and compassionate communication. Guided by their inherited narrative of hardship and survival, these leaders typically stand for moral objectives at work. They often display empathy, social justice advocacy, and a sustained spirit of hope and purpose. This essay reveals how Holocaust-tinged generational trauma uniquely cultivates transformational leadership traits in second and third-generation survivors. It also molds work and leadership styles.

This inherited trauma can shape health behaviors, emotional conditions, parenting approaches, and trust levels within a community, often resulting in a perpetual “survival mode” existence. It’s not merely a hand-me-down of stories it’s the psychological and emotional shifts descendants experience because of their shared history. The torment did not cease with the survivors its echoes have been traced in their progeny, manifesting as heightened anxiety, stress, and inherited behaviors or coping strategies. This trauma seeps into the group’s shared identity, gently guiding behaviors, beliefs, and interactions. Generational trauma, also known as historical or intergenerational trauma, is the ripple effect of a traumatic event that affects a group’s identity, culture, or survival. This essay delves into its intricate influence, particularly as it pertains to descendants of Holocaust survivors.

The highs and lows of our forebears subtly shape us, an effect known as generational trauma. Let’s unravel an enduring truth: We are the sum of both our personal experiences and the ones passed down through our ancestry.

Effects of intergenerational trauma on decision making