Therapy for Intergenerational Trauma

Do you ever feel like you're holding a weight that doesn't fully belong to you? Do you struggle with a sense of guilt or anxiety that seems hard to explain? Do you notice challenging relational patterns that seem to transcend your own experiences?

Intergenerational trauma refers to the embodied experiences people carry that often originated before they were born. Trauma shows up in the nervous system- it can present itself in your relationships or patterns without you even really realizing it. Without this conscious awareness, you may be holding the pain and grief of your ancestors in your bones.

Therapy for intergenerational trauma is slow and delicate work. It generally entails exploring your inherited reactions and learning how they affect you in the present moment. This insight allows you to shift long-standing cycles and potentially change how you relate to yourself and others.

What Is Intergenerational Trauma?

Intergenerational trauma, sometimes called transgenerational trauma or ancestral trauma, refers to the emotional wounding passed from one generation to the next. Unlike traumas with defined timelines, this form of trauma can be more difficult to name or recognize.

While some trauma leaves visible markers like direct experiences or concrete memories, intergenerational trauma is more abstract. It lives in covert family rules about how to talk or behave. It also lives in unconscious survival strategies about how to protect yourself when you feel stressed. With that, it comes in many symptoms, including chronic tension, unexplained anxiety, relational struggles, or a persistent sense of feeling unsafe.

It doesn't matter whether a specific traumatic event happened to you. Instead, intergenerational trauma is more about what you hold in the body. Sometimes it's just this felt sense that certain symptoms don't "quite feel right." In therapy, it's important to attune to these somatic cues and gently make space for deeper processing.

Intergenerational trauma can show up in the body and mind in several ways, including:

Chronic stress or hypervigilance: Your nervous system may feel like it’s always in a state of alert, even when things seem calm. You might feel constantly braced for something to go wrong, like it’s impossible to just relax or trust the present moment. This often reflects a survival response shaped by histories of adversity or systemic oppression. When safety has never been guaranteed, the body learns to stay “on” to protect itself and others.

Difficulty trusting others or forming secure relationships: How attentive were your parents to you growing up? How did they respond to you when you were sad, afraid, or angry? If early caregivers failed to physically or emotionally attune to your needs, your nervous system may have learned that connection isn't safe. People aren't predictable, and there's a need to "keep your guard up." Trust becomes something you work hard for, and it rarely feels natural.

Persistent disconnection from your emotions or body sensations: Intergenerational trauma can affect how connected you feel to your own body or self. For example, you may struggle to notice or name your feelings. You might also experience dissociation. This disconnect is protective, as your nervous system might have learned that paying attention to your own emotions wasn't safe.

Patterns of people-pleasing or overfunctioning: You might feel obligated to take care of others’ needs before your own or avoid conflict at all costs. This pattern sometimes forms when love or affection was conditional, as it reinforces a belief that self-worth is contingent on how much you offer for others.

Fear of calm or stability: Do you thrive in chaos? Do you get a little restless when things feel too calm? Sometimes people with adverse childhood experiences or histories of chronic trauma exposure struggle to truly rest in calm states. You may subconsciously recreate stressful situations or feel uneasy when things are "too good to be true." Or, you might simply be waiting for something catastrophic to happen. 

Somatic symptoms without a clear medical cause: Chronic pain, muscle tension, fatigue, headaches, digestive issues, and sleep problems can all reflect stored trauma in the body. These symptoms often persist despite any medical intervention. They may also flare when you're emotionally overwhelmed, even if you're not consciously aware of distress.

Survivor's guilt or an internalized pressure to succeed: People with intergenerational trauma often carry guilt that doesn't seem to belong to them. Maybe you feel pressure to stay loyal to certain family dynamics or narratives even if you don't agree with them. You also may feel like you must succeed on behalf of past sacrifices. This pressure may feel automatic and can show up in self-sacrificial statements like, "I have no right to complain when my parents sacrificed so much for me", or "I don't deserve to relax or take it easy when the rest of my family suffered so much."

Identify confusion or a sense of internal fragmentation: Do you ever feel split between multiple versions of yourself? It can be so hard to balance various cultural expectations or the needs of different family members with your own personal desires. You may feel like you embody one identity at one time and another identity at another time. As a result, some people with generational trauma feel like they don't know who they really are. This splitting can be distressing, causing you to feel like you can't identify your own needs or fully trust yourself.

Themes of escapism: People try to manage their emotional pain through many different coping mechanisms, including overworking, substance abuse, and perfectionism. If you resonate with these patterns, you’re not alone. However, it’s so important to compassionately perceive them as protective factors. Dissociation, in particular, provides a sense of comfort and relief, and this can be especially important for maintaining a sense of regulation.

What to Expect In Intergenerational Trauma Treatment

The transmission of trauma doesn't always announce itself directly. Instead, multigenerational trauma often shows up as emotional patterns that feel confusing or relational ruptures that repeat across time. Sometimes it quietly persists as a chronic sense of disconnection from self or others. It can also exist within other mental health conditions like depression or anxiety.

Relational and Trauma-Focused

No matter what's happening in your life, it's important to have a steady and authentic relationship where you feel seen. This creates the foundation for emotional safety. Therapy will explore how trauma shows up in real time, creating space for corrective emotional experiences that support your emotional well-being. I embrace taking an active, grounded role when needed, which can be especially meaningful if you become triggered or overwhelmed.

Focused on the Here and Now

Honoring your history is essential, but therapy also focuses on what's occurring in the present moment. This includes noticing various thoughts, patterns, sensations, and emotions as they arise. Being in this mindful space allows you to slow down and notice what's actually happening in your body, helping you respond to the person you are today. 

Anti-Oppressive

Your identities and cultural context always matter, and your story transcends you as an individual. I work from a cultural, relational lens that acknowledges systemic influences and honors your story's inherent complexity. Together, we'll work to differentiate between inherited trauma and your authentic needs and voice. Knowing the context of your ancestors allows us to do the generational work, which may include holding your family accountable and being understanding with yourself. 

Somatic Embodiment and Nervous System Regulation

The nervous system can hold what the mind doesn't necessarily have language for. Somatic work invites you to connect with your body and its many signals. With that, I seek to help clients build awareness of how trauma lives within the body. From there, we will learn ways to support regulating your nervous system. This includes understanding how and when dysregulation happens and how to move toward feeling more grounded, both in and out of session. Over time, this supports a greater sense of internal stability.

Patience and Self-Compassion

Recovering from intergenerational trauma is rarely linear or quick. Instead, it requires compassion and patience as you navigate complex emotions. There may be times when progress feels stalled or old pain resurfaces unexpectedly. These shifts are a common part of the process and often provide meaningful insights. Therapy can help you embrace a more compassionate attitude toward yourself, helping you build resilience and kindness amid various trauma symptoms. Therapy also offers a safe environment where your vulnerability is honored and setbacks are always perceived as mere opportunities for more growth and healing.

Integrating Insight with Action

Gaining insight into trauma is crucial, but sustained recovery involves translating awareness into meaningful change. This means applying what you learn in therapy to your everyday life, whether that's through setting boundaries, developing different self-care routines, or practicing new ways of relating to others. Therapy encourages gentle experimentation with changes within a supportive space, allowing you to reclaim a sense of empowerment. This journey balances introspection with action, helping you live more freely and authentically.

Therapy for Intergenerational Trauma in Brooklyn, New York

The complex pain you carry is valid, even if it feels confusing or didn't start with you. In therapy, we'll honor both your story and your family's story. We'll also focus on what's happening in your body, relationships, and current identity. Recovery does not erase any part of the past, but it does transform how you move through your daily life.

Bushwick Therapy offers in-person therapy in Brooklyn, NY, and telehealth sessions for adults throughout New York. If you're ready to address intergenerational trauma and feel more connected to yourself, reach out for a free 15-minute consultation.