Intergenerational Trauma: Understanding the Legacy of Trauma and Resilience
“Traumatic events destroy the sustaining bonds between individual and community. Those who have survived learn that their sense of self, of worth, of humanity, depends upon a feeling of connection with others. The solidarity of a group provides the strongest protection against terror and despair, and the strongest antidote to traumatic experience. Trauma isolates; the group re-creates a sense of belonging. Trauma shames and stigmatizes; the group bears witness and affirms. Trauma degrades the victim; the group exalts her (him). Trauma dehumanizes the victim; the group restores her (his) humanity. Repeatedly in the testimony of survivors there comes a moment when a sense of connection is restored by another person’s unaffected display of generosity. Something in herself (himself) that the victim believes to be irretrievably destroyed---faith, decency, courage---is reawakened by an example of common altruism. Mirrored in the actions of others, the survivor recognizes and reclaims a lost part of herself (himself). At that moment, the survivor begins to rejoin the human commonality…” (Judith L. Herman)
Intergenerational trauma refers to the emotional, psychological, and physiological effects of traumatic experiences passed down through generations. This paper explores the intersection of Polyvagal Theory, Attachment Theory, and intergenerational trauma. Furthermore, a biopsychosocial perspective would be a more relevant, inclusive and ecological approach in dealing with the ramifications of slavery, colonialism, apartheid and more, on our minds and bodies. I am in agreement with Linda Thai, a specialist in intergenerational/generational/historical trauma, who poignantly states that these forms of trauma, because they are mostly left unspoken, silenced, ‘unthought’ of, or disavowed, transmits pervasive internalised trauma onto the next generation. Research has shown that it can generate multiple layers of ‘symptoms’ including abuse, neglect, addictions, psychological homelessness, parent-child attachment issues, inverted parent-child relationships, unmetabolised complex grief, narrative silencing, vicarious trauma, survivor guilt, adultified or parentified children as well as can trigger various forms of mental and physical illnesses, often interpreted as something ‘normal’ that has been ‘passed down through the family’.
Briefly, Polyvagal Theory (PVT) is grounded in neuroscience, specifically in relation to the vagus nerve which regulates our heart rate, breathing, and gut function. The vagus nerve (Latin - “vagary” “wandering”) exits from our lower brainstem ('splits’ into Ventral and Dorsal) and takes a meandering course through our torso and more or less ends in our gut. The vagus nerve (with the autonomic nervous system) is crucial for responding to danger and threat. If none is present, it returns back to its ‘safety gear’. Neurotransmitters like dopamine, serotonin, and acetylcholine play roles in regulating our emotional responses. Brain regions like the amygdala, hippocampus, and prefrontal cortex process emotional information. These mechanisms all work together to ensure the body-mind’s safety and homeostasis. When we are relaxed and safe we are in ‘safety gear' (Ventral vagal complex) where we feel at ease, relational and connected. At the same time, we are hardwired to be prepared for self-protection via our senses and their capacity to perceive danger in our environments. When a threat or danger is imminent the ‘fight-flight gear' kicks in. Our sympathetic nervous system takes over (being in ‘sympathy’ to protect us from harm) stress hormones I.e. cortisol and adrenaline, are activated, we feel stressed and anxious and we instinctively ‘decide’ whether to fight or to take flight (run away from threat). Both are an attempt to ensure we are safe. When we are unable to do these our bodies goes into freeze gear (Dorsal vagal complex), where we become overwhelmed, dissociated or numb. Moreover a ‘fawn gear’ also exists as another protection from danger, which includes being overly nice, servile, pleasing and appeasing to gain favour of the abusers/others in power. When we are traumatised these mechanisms do not switch off as they are supposed to but instead, remain on high alert, overwhelming our systems and causing havoc in our bodies and psyches.
When we are babies we are very vulnerable, totally dependent and in need of our main caregiver, usually the mother, to ensure that our needs are met. Besides the basic needs of food, water and shelter, a baby’s instinctive need for bonding, attachment, safety and security is crucial. Bonding is facilitated by our amazing nervous and endocrine systems which includes the presence of mirror neurons which facilitates empathy and understanding of others’ feelings. In addition, neuro-hormones including oxytocin - called the “love hormone” and dopamine play a role in reinforcing attachment behaviours.
However, if the mother’s capacity to form a secure bond with her baby is compromised by various internal and external factors which disrupts secure attachment, an insecure attachment style is formed. (For further information see attachment experiments done by John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth) This becomes the blueprint of our sense of self and our future relationships. A myriad of problems from the micro to the macrosystem can affect the mother’s capacity to bond with her baby and child. These can include the mother’s emotional state, the family situation, domestic and other violence, marital conflict, war, racism, poverty and punitive social, cultural or religious practices. Moreover, more recent research has shown that epigenetic changes influences our gene expression which can also play a role in our attachment styles. Epigenetics is the study of how the environment, behavior, and other mechanisms cause changes to the genome that can contribute to the regulation of gene expression and other biological processes without changing the underlying primary DNA sequences. For example, a newly pregnant and highly stressed mother will have a negative impact on the unborn baby’s brain, nervous system and general development.
Hence, we are influenced and shaped, starting before our conception, by the micro, meso and macrosystems which contribute to our being in the world. If we explore the decades of oppression in South Africa, starting with the brutality of slavery, colonialism, and apartheid, we can only touch the tip of the iceberg in terms of historical/intergenerational trauma. I will not go into detail in this brief paper, however, the unspeakable brutality of these systems cannot be undermined and neither forgotten. According to Bayo Akomolafe, an intergenerational trauma expert, in order to heal we need to ‘decolonize’ trauma. By this he means that we need to recognize colonialism, racism, and oppression's impact on our minds, bodies, family and cultural systems. We need to recognise and acknowledge what was lost and to grieve this. He encourages us to develop an embodied knowledge in that we need to find ways to reconnect to our bodies which holds the trauma and cripples us as individuals and society when it remains disavowed. Furthermore, we need to honor our indigenous wisdom and intuitive knowing. These have much to offer in terms of our healing and growing. He further advocates an approach of radical tenderness, in that we need to cultivate compassion for ourselves and others, and to practice “gentle activism”, an activism that doesn’t seek to destroy but seeks to build and unite.
Similarly, Thomas Hübl, a well-known collective trauma expert, proposes that we develop a deep awareness of our collective trauma and acknowledge that it is a shared experience. That we need to honour the different ways in which oppression, racism, political and other violence, displacement, poverty and more has affected us. That the more we turn away from and disavow the pain of our own and our ancestors’ wounds, the more it grows and suppurates. Instead, we need to develop an attitude of openness, awareness and acceptance that these horrific experiences did take place and that their myriad effects are real. With this we need to concede the impact that trauma had on us, from the micro to the macro, as well as the chronological systems that we and our ancestors have been immersed in, and acknowledge the biopsychosocial effects on our bodies, minds and relationships. For this to come to fruition we can adopt an attitude of gentle activism allowing for more hope to flourish than despair. Furthermore, the wonder of neuroplasticity is a further hopeful discovery. The brain and nervous system have the capacity to be rewired and form new neural pathways through repetitive ‘good enough’ healing experiences and relationships. This could be with an attuned trauma-informed therapist, a supportive partner as well as learning to re-regulate oneself through compassionate self-inquiry. Listening and attuning to one’s body and attending to its needs, like a mother does for her baby or developing child. We can learn to be the ‘good enough’ mother we may not have had while growing up. Trauma-informed and/or somatic based therapies such as Somatic Experiencing (Peter Levine), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing therapy (EMDR), Attachment based therapies, emotionally focused therapy (EFT), Compassionate Enquiry ( Gabor Maté) , Neurofeedback (Ruth Cohn), and Internal Family Systems (Richard Schwartz) are better able to access the trauma which is stuck in our bodies than only talk therapies. I am an ‘ex’ talk therapist myself, so I should know. As stated by Bessel van der Kolk, a world renowned trauma specialist, “the body keeps the score”. Furthermore, according to Peter Levine, the creator of Somatic Experiencing, we may also be able to work through the wounds of our parents and their parents and beyond, potentially creating the capacity to “unhook” ourselves (and our children and their children) from the traumas that have been passed down through generations. This may seem easier said than done and does take time and consistent internal processing. However, the benefits outweigh the challenges. If and when this is undertaken, it will allow for greater self-awareness and compassion and a deeper sense of connectedness to one true Self, others and Life itself.
In order for us to heal and live together in relative harmony as a society, we need to start by taking off the plasters. We need to acknowledge and accept that we were indeed traumatised on so many levels and that the scars can be seen in terms of our psyches, emotional regulation, relationships, physical health and psychosocial issues. The evidence of how broken South Africa is, is on every corner and in every conversation, With some asking “what do we do” and others (who can afford it) wondering “do we stay or do we leave?”. Intergenerational transmission of trauma is real, but so is intergenerational transmission of resilience. We can look for these seeds within us and find ways to heal ourselves and our ancestors, knowing that they hold indigenous wisdom which we can draw from, not only individually but more significantly, as a collective.
Resources
Books
- "The Body Keeps the Score" by Bessel van der Kolk
- “Trauma and Recovery - The Aftermath of Violence - From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror” by Judith Lewis Herman
- "Waking the Tiger" by Peter Levine
- "Attached" by Amir Levine and Rachel Heller
- "The Polyvagal Theory" by Stephen Porges
- “Attuned” and “Healing Collective Trauma” by Thomas Hübl
- “Raising Free People” Bayo Akomolafe
Online Courses
- Polyvagal Theory Online Course by Stephen Porges
- Attachment Theory Online Course by Amir Levine
Websites
- The Polyvagal Institute
- Attachment Theory Website
- Trauma Center at Justice Resource Institute
- Somatic Experiencing
- Trauma Research Foundation
Podcasts
- The Polyvagal Podcast
- Attachment Theory Podcast
- The Trauma Podcast