Intergenerational trauma is a theory that trauma experienced by one person in a family can be passed down to future generations. Sometimes called historical trauma or multigenerational trauma, it can be experienced by certain cultural, racial, or ethnic groups, and could result in emotional or behavioral reactions.

The fact is that when you are a child of someone who has experienced tremendous trauma, those memories can become yours. While some individuals might not be victims of intergenerational trauma, others might experience signs such as clinical depression accompanied by low self-esteem, feelings of vulnerability, unexplained anxiety, aggressive behavior/irritability, difficulty concentrating, substance abuse, relationship issues, frequent nightmares, suicidal tendencies, and/or physical and psychological illnesses.

In my new book, Hummingbird: Messages from My Ancestors (2024), I discuss how my grandmother survived World War I and my father survived World War II. The trauma they lived through was passed on to their offspring and has manifested in numerous ways. For example, my grandmother was orphaned at the age of 11 during World War I, and the pain of that stayed with her until she died. Not only did she end up taking her life when she was in her 60s, but her daughter, my mother, battled depression her entire life. My family never spoke of their traumas, but I have often dreamt about them—which signals that their trauma is living........

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