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Writer's pictureElaine Elizabeth

Healing the pain of past generations: It Didn't Start With You




My Journey Into the Depths of Generational Trauma

As I reflect on my life, I can't help but wonder - why do I carry so much pain and self-destructive tendencies? This question led me down a winding path of discovery into the layers of inherited trauma embedded deep in my psyche and family history. Join me as I peel back the complex layers to better understand the elusive roots feeding the weeds of anguish in my heart.

The Haunting Questions


The mystery truly began on my countless trips to rehab, fruitlessly trying to break free from addiction. I intuitive felt an invisible force pulling me under, but I couldn't pinpoint its origin.

Why does substance abuse run so rampantly across generations in my family?
Why do I feel so damaged, disconnected and different from everyone else?

My anxiety and depression certainly didn't start with me. But how far back do the seeds go?

These haunting questions ignited my journey to trace back and unlock the generational traumas living silently within me.


Down the Research Rabbit Hole


As I searched for answers, the book Your Body Keeps the Score shone light into the deep imprints trauma leaves in our physiology. Our bodies hold onto hurts our minds try desperately to forget. This insight opened my eyes - perhaps my family's disease manifested physiologically as well as psychologically.



I dove deeper into the research rabbit hole, stumbling upon the groundbreaking book It Didn't Start With You. This exploration into inherited family trauma patterns resonated deeply. Might my substance abuse and mental health issues stem from more than just my personal experiences? Might I have inherited emotional burdens passed down through generations?



These pivotal works spurred revelations about my family tree. My great grandparents endured the horrors of war. My grandparents scraped by the Great Depression and World War II witnessing tremendous suffering. My parents inherited their haunting legacies. And I inherited all of it - the sins of my ancestors bleeding into my veins.


Decoding the Trauma in my DNA

Yet through my research, hope glimmered. I learned about epigenetics - how our environment and life experiences influence our genetic expression. While we can't change our DNA, we can change how it manifests by healing past traumas.

I realized just as genetics influence physiological disease, they also pass down

pre-dispositions for anxiety, addiction, and emotional instabilities. Trauma becomes encoded into our nervous system, compromising our stress resilience and emotional health - especially if left unprocessed.

These silent afflictions cascade down family lines, each generation accumulating more damage. Our ancestors unknowingly perpetuate cycles of harm not through ill intentions, but through ignorance. My grandparents didn't have the capacity to process their extreme distress, so they unintentionally passed down these burdens.

My Blueprint to Breaking Free

with these hard-won insights, I created Blueprint to the Heart as a guiding light for others traversing similar shadows in their family histories. By courageously confronting the generational trauma living within us, we can defuse its control over our lives.

While excavating these hurts is painful, I've uncovered incredible freedom, compassion and inner peace by releasing old wounds. Our predecessors couldn't end the cycles tormenting them - but we can choose to stop these currents from pulling our children under.

Though daunting, we must believe redemption is possible if we dare to look back and bring dark secrets to light with radical honesty, accountability and forgiveness. My blueprint is only the beginning, but I hope my story gives you the courage to write your own.


Rachel Yehuda Ph.D (holocaust survivor research)https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=k7C9PhkAAAAJ&hl=en


 

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