Therapy for Generational Trauma

If you think back 100 years (which really isn’t that long ago!), our ancestors had it rough!

Survival required hard work, marital rape was not prosecuted, and many rights and protections we have in place today were largely nonexistent.

Therapy as we know it wasn’t a thing. Many people suppressed their emotions, suffering in silence, and only let dysfunction spill out behind closed doors.

Go back 200 years, and life was even more challenging. Childbirth was the leading cause of death among women during their reproductive years. Life was so tough back then that the average lifespan for an American adult in the 1820s was 40 years old.

So, one can only imagine the trauma our ancestors endured, and how that affected their parenting and perspective on life.

What is Generational Trauma?

Generational trauma is the passing down of unhealed emotional, behavioral, and biological trauma from one generation to the next.

Studies show that chronic stress affects gene expression, increasing the likelihood that descendants of people who lived in an activated state may inherit these traits.

Unhealed trauma creates certain tendencies, beliefs, and forms of expression that kids pick up from their parents, allowing it to shape their worldview. Adults who never learned how to regulate their emotions, set boundaries, or communicate well often create confusing and dysfunctional environments for their children. These kids, in turn, grow up and recreate the same confusion. Partly because it’s what they know, and also, they lack the same coping skills as their parents.

How Do You Break the Pattern of Generational Trauma?

Breaking the cycle involves seeing it clearly for what it is. Obviously, this doesn’t happen overnight and requires deep introspection.

Here’s how therapy can help: Your therapist will guide you as you identify the areas that need work. Your therapist will help you understand how certain maladaptive coping strategies may have appeared to help you survive, but at what cost? Depending on how the generational trauma manifests in your life, your therapist will help you process and teach you healthier ways to cope.

You will learn to set boundaries. Regulate your emotions. And you’ll be empowered to ditch limiting beliefs or concepts you’ve held onto that have prevented you from living life.

You will explore your identity. If there is any indication that you feel unworthy, ashamed, or flawed, that will be dissected and reframed.

At the Relationship Therapy Center, we know how confusing it can be to untangle one’s identity from familial lore and grow into who you are independent of who you were told you were.

We understand, too, how scary it can be to be the one who stands up against the weight of the past.

Healing generational trauma is like clearing the slate. It is an incredibly powerful thing to do, and one of the greatest gifts you can bestow on your descendants. You’re the hero. You’re the one who said, “Enough!” and did the work so that future generations get a chance to experience life, unencumbered by the shackles of the past.

To find out more, please reach out at any time. This is not something you have to face alone.

Begin Trauma Therapy in the Sacramento Area or Online:

Are you ready to find peace and healing after trauma? We are here to support you and provide high-quality evidence-based trauma treatment to people in the Sacramento Area and online for people living in the state of California. To begin trauma therapy in Fair Oaks, CA or Roseville, CA, please follow these steps:

1. Reach out to our relationship therapy clinic for a free 15-minute phone consultation to learn more about trauma therapy.
2. Meet with one of our compassionate trauma therapists.
3. Begin trauma treatment and regain control in your life.

Other Services Offered at The Relationship Therapy Center in California:

In addition to trauma therapy, Our Sacramento area counseling clinics located in Roseville, Davis and Fair Oaks, CA are pleased to offer a variety of mental health services. Our couples services include: Counseling after infidelity, sex therapy, co-parent counseling, family therapy, divorce counseling, intensive couples retreats, and premarital counseling. Individual therapy services include, therapy for children, teen therapy, depression treatment, and individual relationship counseling. Our therapists offer online counseling in California to treat a variety of mental health concerns. Please reach out to our Sacramento area therapy office to learn more about the many ways we can help you or your loved ones heal and grow.