Generational Trauma: How Pain Is Passed Down and How to Break the Cycle
Introduction
If you’ve ever noticed patterns of anxiety, anger, or disconnection running through your family, you may have wondered: “Can trauma be passed down from one generation to the next?”
The short answer: yes. This is known as generational trauma (or intergenerational trauma). Science shows that trauma doesn’t only affect the person who experiences it — it can influence children and even grandchildren, both through learned behaviors and biological changes. The good news? With awareness and therapy, these cycles can be broken.
What Is Generational Trauma?
Generational trauma occurs when the effects of trauma are carried forward from parents to children. This can happen in two main ways:
Through Environment and Behavior
Children of trauma survivors often grow up in households marked by fear, instability, or emotional distance.
They may learn unhealthy coping patterns such as withdrawal, aggression, or avoidance.
Through Biology (Epigenetics)
Research in epigenetics (the study of how environment affects gene expression) shows that trauma can literally alter stress-response genes.
For example, studies on descendants of Holocaust survivors found higher cortisol reactivity and altered stress hormone regulation.
In other words, trauma doesn’t just live in memory — it can live in biology.
Signs of Generational Trauma
You may be experiencing generational trauma if you notice:
Recurring family patterns of anxiety, depression, or substance abuse
Difficulty expressing or regulating emotions
Fear-based parenting or lack of emotional safety growing up
A sense of “carrying pain that isn’t fully mine”
Recognizing these signs is the first step toward healing.
How Generational Trauma Impacts Families
Relationships: Unhealed trauma often leads to cycles of conflict, mistrust, or emotional distance.
Parenting: Trauma survivors may struggle to provide consistent safety and connection, unintentionally passing their pain to children.
Identity: Some descendants of trauma carry a deep sense of shame, fear, or insecurity without knowing why.
Left unaddressed, these patterns repeat across generations.
How to Break the Cycle of Generational Trauma
The powerful truth: trauma may be passed down, but healing can be too.
1. Awareness and Education
Understanding that trauma is shaping your reactions (and not “something wrong with you”) is the first step.
2. Trauma-Focused Therapy
Approaches like EMDR, CBT, and somatic therapy help individuals process their own trauma while also breaking patterns of behavior that affect their children.
3. Building Safe Relationships
Creating secure, supportive connections helps rewire the nervous system and teaches children new, healthier models of relating.
4. Parenting with Intention
Therapy can help parents learn to set boundaries, regulate emotions, and create safety — even if they didn’t have it growing up.
5. Community and Support
Healing often requires support beyond the family — whether through group therapy, faith communities, or trusted networks.
Why This Matters for Future Generations
Breaking generational trauma isn’t just about personal healing. It creates a legacy of resilience for children and grandchildren. Every step you take to process trauma gives the next generation a stronger foundation of safety, connection, and hope.
Final Thoughts
Generational trauma shows us that pain can echo through families. But it also shows us something even more powerful: healing can echo, too. With therapy and intentional change, families can stop cycles of suffering and begin cycles of strength.
At Golden Roots Therapy, we specialize in helping clients in Saint Paul, Mahtomedi, and the East Metro process trauma and create healthier futures for themselves and their families.
Ready to break the cycle? Schedule a consultation with Golden Roots Therapy today.