![]() As a result of trauma and its symptoms, many people who experience family trauma turn to drugs and alcohol to self-medicate.ĭrugs and alcohol create an escape from dealing with the unpleasant effects of trauma, but the break is only short-lived. Trauma responses can also include heightened breathing and perspiration. Trauma symptoms can manifest as negative thoughts or unpleasant memories. According to Molecular Diversity Preservation International, “rauma exposure to be passed to offspring transgenerationally via the epigenetic inheritance mechanism of DNA methylation alterations and has the capacity to change the expression of genes and the metabolome.” How Generational Trauma Relates to AddictionĪny trauma creates stress which requires coping mechanisms. One way trauma informs the body is by turning on or off specific genes that are passed along from parent to child. Trauma can create change in more than behavior it can change the brain and the body at the chemical level. As with trauma modeled through behavior, this trauma can then be passed on to the family’s next generation through learned behaviors, creating a cycle of learned trauma that can last generations. An example of this occurring is when a parent shares what happened to them or what they are afraid of happening, creating the opportunity for their child to establish their own trauma response to that knowledge. Trauma can also be passed down vicariously. This is where unhealed trauma can become family trauma: it informs a parent’s behavior, causing the parent to model trauma responses as behavior to their child. The result is maladaptive behaviors and responses to threats and danger, sometimes manifesting as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, or other mental health disorders. ![]() When trauma is unresolved, this response can become a pattern, effectively overwriting other patterns stored as neural pathways in the brain. This can include racing heart, palpitations, sweaty palms, and suddenly high or low energy. When similar incidents to the trauma occur (or are perceived to occur), the brain ignites the body’s fight-or-flight response. When someone has a traumatizing experience, it is stored in the body and the brain. This is leading to more individuals seeking drugs and alcohol as a way of coping instead of treatment and support. Generational trauma is becoming more prevalent, especially in younger generations. According to PsychCentral’s article “How Intergenerational Trauma Impacts Families,” this places individuals at higher risk for mental health disorders, including anxiety and depression, and can lead to drug or alcohol addiction. Generational trauma occurs when a parent or caretaker has unhealed trauma of their own. It is sometimes called generational trauma. Family trauma is trauma that is passed down through either behavior or genetics from one generation to the next.
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