Hello, my lovely Plante Lifers!
This week is going to be a little different than usual, more discussion than instruction.
Last week, we talked about how to treat and heal the wounds caused by emotional trauma. Aside from the usual sources like other people and tragic circumstances, there is a fascinating new theory about where trauma can stem from…
Our genetics.
Epigenetics, a very new study of “heritable phenotype changes that do not involve alterations in the DNA sequence”, suggests the possibility that the effects of trauma can be passed from parent to child. So, in theory, you can be predisposed to certain triggers or environments because of trauma your parents or grandparents experienced decades before you were born.
What do you think: Is trauma inherited? Can we have an emotional response to the histories of our ancestors that influence how we think about our own current lives?
And does it even matter?
Channel your best badass sci-fi scientist and dive into the conversation.
The Science-y Stuff First
OK, so for starters, I have to say that epigenetics is definitely in its infancy as far as fields of study go. In 2008, a study found that “children who were exposed in the womb to the Dutch Hunger Winter, a period of famine toward the end of World War II, carried a particular chemical mark, or epigenetic signature, on one of their genes.” Epi- is a Greek prefix which means that we’re looking at things that come in addition to the regular DNA we all inherit from our parents.
In a sense, it’s like a side order with your meal. As these children in the study grew up, this extra mark on their genes was linked to health concerns that other children without exposure did not exhibit. The scientific community was intrigued.
Since then there have been additional studies including one last October on children of abused war prisoners during the Civil War. The results showed: “The sons of ex-POWs imprisoned when camp conditions were at their worst were 1.11 times more likely to die than the sons of non-POWs and 1.09 times more likely to die than the sons of ex-POWs when camp conditions were better.” That’s a 10% increase in their risk factor, and these children were not born until after their fathers returned home from war.
So could these higher risk factors be a result of their fathers’ experiences? That is exactly what epigeneticists believe.
Researcher at North Carolina State University, Randy L. Jirtle hypothesizes that studies like this also explain why “states in the southern United States—which had more severe food shortages during and after the Civil War—have worse health outcomes today.” The stress of war combined with the lack of available nutrition left an impression on future generations to come. And researchers have also been looking at the genetic effects of racism, the Holocaust, and even daily abuses on the body (like smoking, alcohol or drugs) passed on from parent to child after the fact.
Studies with generational data like these take loads of time, and so far, the pool of subjects has been small enough to create a lot of debate within the scientific community, but I do not think the concepts are so far fetched.
It Didn’t Start With You…
What if epigenetics is simply a more detailed study of human evolution? Mice raised in difficult environments produced offspring that handled stress differently than control mice in the same study, suggesting that their parents’ childhood experience dictates how they now react to different stimuli.
Our early ancestors adapted to new terrain and threats constantly, and as a result of their adaptations, we eventually evolved into the humans we are today. There are still signs of these changes in our body now, like tonsils and appendixes that are not necessary organs and tiny pinkie toes that are just there to be cute. 😉
If we can reap the benefits of their experience, why wouldn’t we also gain the disadvantages?
… But You Have The Power To End it.
Mark Wolynn is the Director of the Family Constellation Institute and the Hellinger Institute of Northern California. He also wrote a book about trauma-transmission called It Didn’t Start With You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle. Wolynn believes that inherited trauma is often overlooked because we rarely think to investigate our parents’ past for indicators of our own mental health challenges.
When anxiety comes out of left field, it could be an indication that the fears we’re carrying are not actually our own. He calls in a “ancestral alarm clock” that is triggered when we reach a certain life stage or circumstance similar to when our traumatized parent or grandparent was first affected.
Repairing this generational damage begins with exposing its source, then creating “an experience powerful enough to override the old trauma response that lives in so many of us.” This is a time to incorporate your visualization techniques and really lean in to the new sensations of a more positive mental picture around whatever is causing you anxiety. Wolynn adds, “The idea is to steal traction away from the highly efficient trauma cycle that keeps us in a state of suffering, and engage other areas of the brain.”
And in many cases, this process of healing the long-held trauma can give us a better understanding of our parents’ lives, actually leading to a stronger connection instead of blame and anger. The whole family unit can benefit.
Whether you believe that trauma is inherited or not, the most important thing to remember is that it can be healed. If you haven’t already, check out some more ways to work through emotional wounds in this blog on Emotional First Aid.
Then let me know where you fall in this debate? Do you think we inherit the trauma of our parents, or is trauma only something that happens to us? Let me know in the comments below!
LOVE + theoretical good luck!
Ok, let’s get this going! In my humble opinion, and based on a lifetime of experience, I believe that trauma and the resulting reactionary response to it is LEARNED and not inherited. So here is my justification. My father was an Army vet, he fought in 3 wars (I think that is correct, but it may have been two). He suffered from, what I believe, was undiagnosed PTSD. He was a violent man, an heavy drinker, always thought people were out to get him, etc. He died at the very young age of 54 from heart problems. Throughout my life I learned that violence and being reactive to environmental stimuli was OK. My dad did it, so why couldn’t I do it, right? Wrong! Luckily my college education, some really great friends, and a really attentive shrink helped me realize that these responses are not OK. So I learned to be a jerk, then I unlearned to be a jerk. I am still not perfect, but I am still working on me. I was also diagnosed with PTSD (due to a horrendous auto accident) when I was about 43. That’s when I started seeing a psychologist. She helped me to deep dive into my life. It is my belief that the PTSD may have been “stimulated” by the accident, but it really stemmed from the crap I had to deal with as a child. It was in me, because I learned that it was OK to be violent and rude and uncaring. It was not me in reality. I hated the way I was all my life, but not any more. As for the stats, I have exceeded my father’s life span by 6 years. So is trauma inherited or learned? I guess it depends on your definition. I have inherited an autoimmune disorder from my grandmother, I learned to be a violent person from my father. I have to constantly deal with the disease. I have to constantly work on fixing and unlearning the effects of my father’s PTSD.
Thank you so much for such a thoughtful post! I find this to be a very interesting subject — and definitely one that is up for discussion. I actually believe trauma can be both — learned and inherited. In this particular article though, we’re talking more about mental health challenges versus learned behavior. Wolynn believes that inherited trauma is often overlooked because we rarely think to investigate our parents’ past for indicators of our own mental health challenges. It’s interesting to see if the reaction we’re having (anxiety, fear, depression etc) is triggered when we reach a certain life stage or circumstance that is similar to when our traumatized parent or grandparent was first affected, it can be an indication of something happening on a deeper level — an indication that the fears we’re carrying are not actually our own. In your case, I think it’s just curious to look at whether PTSD is something that can be stored in our bodies on a cellular level — something that could be passed on, so then you might have been more likely to A) learn this behavior and B) suffer from similar issues. And look, I am not a doctor or scientist or a psychologist, just interested in opening up the conversation so my readers can find more ways to help heal themselves 🙂 And I’m happy it sparked some conversation here!! THANK YOU!