Ancestral trauma is a traumatic event that occurred decades ago and has influenced how individuals perceive, cope with, and heal from trauma.

Ancestral trauma is transmitted through attachment relationships in which the parent has experienced relational trauma and has long-lasting effects on individuals across the lifespan, including a predisposition to further trauma.

This means that we can observe the psychological consequences of trauma being passed down from generation to generation.

Examples of Ancestral Trauma

Now, you may now be wondering, “How does this manifest in families?” Ancestral trauma can manifest itself in a variety of ways, including the following:

• A family may appear emotionally numb or have strong aversions to discussing feelings
• A family may view discussing feelings as a sign of weakness
• Another family may have trust issues with “outsiders” and appear perpetually conflictual
• Some families may appear anxious and overprotective of their children or family members, even when no danger exists

This is far from an in-depth list of ways in which trauma affects multiple generations.

It can also manifest itself in unhealthy relationship boundaries and families learning unhealthy survival behaviors subconsciously.

When we think about history, numerous groups come to mind that have been impacted by ancestral trauma, including descendants of enslaved people in the United States, Native Americans, refugees, those who have experienced substance abuse across generations, those who have survived childhood abuse or neglect, and family members of Holocaust survivors.

When a person witnesses a traumatic event, which is a guarantee for all humans but varies in perceived impact and type, they are permanently altered. Trauma alters us on both a cellular and behavioral level.

Thus, even if you have never met or even seen a photograph of your great-great-great-grandmother, the traumatic experience or incredibly difficult and harsh life she endured lives on cellular, energetic, and behavioral levels in you.

Her genetic expression was altered, and her emotional and mental coping mechanisms were also passed down through the generations.

How To Heal Ancestral Trauma?

Having the courage to address the legacy of illness and strife is the first and most critical step toward healing ancestral trauma.

While we may be unable to pinpoint the source of dysfunction, we are living with its consequences.

That is, we may be unable to determine the source of the sounds we carry because we do not know when the major event or experience that caused the dysfunction occurred.

That is acceptable, though not entirely necessary.

5 Ways to Heal Ancestral Trauma

• Acquire your divine vision

How do you want your life to feel the most?

What types of experiences do you seek?

Which facets of yourself do you wish to explore more deeply?

These things that feel “obstructed” and “impossible to obtain” are yours. If these desires and visions were not for you, you would not have them.

The great illusion (and the result of these trauma legacies) is that they are not yours, that they are unacceptable, shameful, and so forth. Take these visions in and simply hold them.

• Seek assistance from both visible and unseen realms

Invoke your ancestors, particularly those with whom you shared a special relationship.

Invoke the spirits of plants and Nature.

Solicit assistance from mentors and divine space keepers during this process.

• Recognize and address what isn’t working

Is it a specific physical health issue?

Are addictions hereditary?

Is there a tendency toward rage, deception, or emotional unavailability?

Allow yourself to compassionately observe the qualities within you that are impeding your life.

• Allow yourself to delve deeply

The subtle gives birth to the gross.

Allow yourself to delve deeply into the underlying factor that contributes to your suffering, which is located in your subtle body.

Your emotions, beliefs, mindset, behaviors, and lifetime wounds are all contributing factors over which you have complete control and sovereignty! How thrilling!

For instance, that health problem is not simply the result of your physical body ceasing to function normally one day. Investigate further.

• Engage in consistent and ongoing energy healing practices, shadow work, shamanism, meditation, yoga, and other embodiment practices

Your ancestors wished for you to succeed.

You are the fulfillment of their dreams and the answer to their prayers.

At times, choosing a “new” way, a more nourishing way, can feel like betrayal.

Nonetheless, this is the work they longed to begin, and whether it was due to shame, a lack of resources, the era in which they lived, or something else, they were unable to actualize the wholeness that exists in your heart.

Carry out this work for your own benefit and to have the best possible experience of life, as well as for the benefit of those who have come before you of whom you are made.

5 Benefits Of Ancestral Healing

When you are ready, ancestral healing will appear on your path. Whether you know of it or not, if you have arrived here, your ancestors are speaking to you. They are attempting to establish contact.

By tending to your ancestral roots, you can heal from the inside out.

There are countless benefits to ancestral connection and healing work — and as each person dives in, they discover their own unique path of transformation.

In this section, I’ll share the five most frequently experienced benefits of ancestral healing, which I’ve witnessed repeatedly both in myself and with my clients:

1) Ancestral healing can assist in the release of negative beliefs, programs, and patterns passed down through our parents, ancestors, and religious upbringing. Indeed, it can assist you in overcoming any limiting belief or unhealthy pattern in your life, regardless of whether you are aware of it in your family.

This can range from low self-esteem to unhealthy patterns in romantic relationships, to limiting beliefs about money, to sickness and illness, to self-sabotage, to family feuds, to a sense of peace about where we came from, about who we are, and a great deal more.

2) Ancestral healing offers a unique perspective that other modalities do not. This is because our ancestral trauma is frequently the driving force behind our patterns and beliefs. We have been trained in Western culture to ignore the underlying cause of a problem and focus exclusively on the symptoms.

3) It liberates us at the cellular memory and DNA levels, having an effect on every other level of our being. Ancestral healing addresses issues not only through mental reframes, emotional release, energy shifts, or external life changes — but also at the most fundamental level of our being. This encompasses the psychological, emotional, energetic, spiritual, and physical realms.

Then, changes are made at the deepest core — at the source — that ripple out into all of our relationships.

4) Ancestral healing transforms our most ingrained patterns at the source where they began (often, several generations or thousands of years in the past). Each time I facilitate an Ancestral Healing Ceremony, this core pain is transformed into wisdom and healing. You can almost feel your ancestors on the other side celebrating their liberation and coming to support you as you walk your path forward into the future.

5) If you are on the path of awakening and sense a call to self-healing, ancestral healing is an easy guide. When we decide to heal ourselves and our ancestors, we endow our ancestors, descendants, and ourselves with luck, love, protection, and well-being.

This actually is just the tip of the iceberg in terms of the profound healing and spiritual fulfillment that ancestral healing can bring.

How to Release Ancestral Trauma

Do you feel as if you were born with certain beliefs and patterns? Is there a known or suspected history of trauma in your ancestors’ lineage?

Beliefs and coping mechanisms that enabled our ancestors to survive often become hardwired into the DNA of subsequent generations, whether or not they are relevant to their current situation. These traits may be inherited or learned from our parents, or they may date all the way back to our ancestors.

As an illustration, suppose my father’s ancestors were Latvian Jews who endured centuries of occupation and oppression. Some of the beliefs I would have untangled from that heritage are:

• “It is not safe to pursue your dreams.”
• “We must remain unnoticed.”
• “We must work ourselves to the bone just to get by.”

This alone can expose me to numerous obstacles and challenges. Things will not begin to shift for me until I begin to heal and clear some of the ancestral wounds, beliefs, and coping mechanisms.

The following are just a few indicators that you may have unresolved ancestral baggage:

• Success and/or failure stories have been passed down as family lore
• You are replicating familial habits or coping mechanisms
• Your hypervigilance patterns do not correspond to your past or present reality
• You believe you were born with certain patterns and beliefs
• You feel stuck and don’t know why
• Thinking about your family history (known or unknown) feels heavy

Here are a few tips for clearing ancestral baggage:

• Recognize the pattern

Firstly, identify a pattern or area of your life in which you feel trapped and believe you may have inherited. For instance, are you wanting to leave your job but are paralyzed by fear? Do you suffer from a chronic health condition that prevents you from thriving? Do you struggle just to strike a balance between your own and others’ needs in your relationships and/or friendships?

• Recognize the belief

After identifying the pattern, what belief do you believe may be driving it? For instance, “I am the only person I can trust,” “if I am not careful, something terrible will happen,” and “others’ needs are more important than mine.”

• Trace the origins of the belief

Imagine you’re tracing this belief all the way back to the first time you began believing something similar. What was taking place at the time?

After spending some time with any memories that may surface, I invite you to continue traveling back in time, until before your birth, to a time when one of your ancestors may have begun believing this. You may have an intuitive sense of something, hear something, or see something.

If nothing comes up for you, that is perfectly acceptable. You might ask yourself, “Did I learn this from my ancestors?” and see if the answer is affirmative. Additionally, you can practice automatic writing, in which you write the question and then jot down any responses you receive.

If you receive a yes, you may wish to inquire whether the incident occurred on your mother’s or father’s line. If you were adopted, you might do so for your biological or adoptive parents.

• Examine the belief’s intention

When you have a sense of where this belief originated, ask about its function. What was happening at the time that your ancestors needed this belief to protect them? What survival strategy did your ancestor(s) devise?

• Recognize your ancestors and validate their sacrifices

Once you have a sense of who may have developed this belief and why, I invite you to write it down and, if you wish, to light a candle or create sacred space in any way that feels right to you. You can do this even if you are unsure of its origins; you simply know that it contains an ancestral component. Recognize your ancestors for the sacrifices they made in order to survive and provide for their descendants. Inform them of their foresight in developing this belief and strategy and how it was precisely what was needed to be done at the time.

• Solicit their assistance in releasing it

Imagine that you’re projecting a video of your current life onto your ancestors to demonstrate how your life and current circumstances are different from theirs. Assure them that if/when you do release this belief, you will do so to honor their sacrifices and repay them. Solicit their assistance in letting go of outdated beliefs and coping mechanisms, knowing that doing so for you will also enable them to experience something new—through you.

If/when you feel ready, imagine yourself letting go of the old belief. If you put it on paper, you might tear it. If you feel as though something is impeding or obstructing your progress, you may need to spend more time with the belief, your ancestors, or the younger version of you who first developed this belief.

• Substitute a new strategy for the old one

Now, jot down a new belief that you wish to replace the previous one with. For instance, “I can pursue my dreams while maintaining financial security;” “it is safe for me to shine.” “The universe is on my side.” Imagine instilling this new belief in your crown (the top of your head). Sensitize yourself as it begins to permeate the neural pathways that have been conditioned to hold the previous belief. Then, feel it spread throughout the rest of your body and into all the cells that were affected by the old belief.

Are you looking for the best books on healing ancestral trauma?

In certain moments where we find ourselves requiring assistance it becomes evident that help can unexpectedly manifest itself from diverse sources—be it a reliable friend by our side a supportive neighbor lending a hand or perhaps an unfamiliar yet benevolent stranger extending kindness. Alternatively. The artistic realm has its own unique ways of offering aid.

Amongst these methods are songs and films whose significance is embodied by seven notable book titles specially chosen for their ability to assist individuals in coping with traumatic episodes. Art serves as both a reminder of better days ahead and an arsenal of essential tools for overcoming harrowing experiences.

Moreover. Art provides vital context and perspective by highlighting situations far more distressing than our own predicaments. Additionally books serve as a beacon of hope as they unveil the triumphs of others who have navigated similar waters or offer illuminating insights during those seemingly endless nights cloaked in darkness.

7 Best Books On Healing Ancestral Trauma

These seven books, which include memoirs and clinical studies. Cover a wide range of topics and use various techniques. Despite their differences the common thread among them is that they all explore the theme of trauma in one way or another. Whether drawing from personal experiences or offering a clinical perspective. These books have the potential to provide assistance in dealing with trauma.

Discovering My Scars – Stephanie Kostopoulos

Trauma can manifest in a variety of ways, and it’s frequently difficult for us to cope when our own struggles don’t look the way we expect them to. Stephanie Kostopoulos battled non-suicidal self-injury, which landed her in a psychiatric ward for 74 hours following a traumatic day in her college dorm room.

Her experiences there set her on the path to recovery, and in this memoir, she vividly describes both her struggles and triumphs. For her, recovery entailed self-forgiveness and discovering “God’s grace and revelation,” but one of the things this book aims to do is demonstrate to readers that it is acceptable to discover their own scars and paths to recovery.

From Generation to Generation – Emily Wanderer Cohen

Dealing with intergenerational trauma can be challenging. Often, because the trauma did not occur directly to us, we perceive it to be less legitimate.

Emily Wanderer Cohen examines intergenerational trauma through the lens of her own family’s Holocaust survival, revealing lessons that can be applied to all forms of intergenerational trauma in order to aid survivors and their children and grandchildren in healing.

After the Eclipse – Sarah Perry

Sarah Perry witnessed a partial solar eclipse when she was twelve years old. Within two days, her mother was assassinated in their home, and Sarah embarked on a journey that would irreversibly alter and reshape her life. Sarah found herself waiting for the trial that she believed would bring her closure, her grief complicated by the police investigation that took twelve years to find her mother’s killer.

When it finally arrived, she realized that what she was seeking was not the identity of her mother’s killer but the contours of her own life. The quest to solve that mystery would lead her back to her hometown in this blend of memoir and suspense that “pulls the reader swiftly along parallel tracks of mystery and elegy.”

Heal Your PTSD – Michele Rosenthal

Recovering from trauma is a unique journey for each individual. Fortunately, authors such as Michele Rosenthal—who struggled with post-traumatic stress disorder following a serious illness—have gone on to become experienced post-trauma coaches, sharing with readers not only what worked for her but also strategies and exercises developed to assist people in coping with various types of trauma through self-help measures, mindfulness, and meditation.

It Didn’t Start With You – Mark Wolynn

I already included a title addressing ancestral trauma, but Mark Wolyn’s “groundbreaking book” takes the concept a step further, arguing that our own traumas may not always be reflective of our own lived experiences but may be literally inherited through everything from gene expression to everyday language.

Mark Wolynn not only provides a “compelling understanding of inherited trauma” but also “new, powerful tools for alleviating its suffering,” according to Tara Brach, author of Radical Acceptance. Even for those who are dealing with trauma that is directly related to their lived experience, understanding how trauma can be passed down through generations can aid in recognizing and comprehending its impact on our own lives.

The Body Keeps the Score – Bessel van der Kolk

If you conduct a search for “books about trauma,” you’ll discover that this #1 New York Times bestseller ranks at the top of nearly every list. It has been dubbed “Essential reading for anyone interested in understanding and treating traumatic stress and the scope of its impact on society” by Alexander McFarlane, Director of the University of Adelaide’s Centre for Traumatic Stress Studies.

In contrast to being solely instructive. This manual takes a deeper dive into the fundamental reasons behind trauma. It seeks to uncover how trauma deeply influences both our body and brain. By gaining greater insights into what exactly defines trauma and how it personally manifests within us. We are able to restore an essential equilibrium crucial for navigating a world that often leaves us feeling disoriented.

The EMDR Revolution – Tal Croitoru

Although there is a notable amount of skepticism and controversy surrounding Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy.

Even its critics admit that certain aspects of it are effective. Whether you are a believer, skeptic, or simply interested in learning more about one of the few evidence based therapies widely utilized today this book will guide you through the history, theory, and practice of EMDR therapy. It will enlighten you on how this approach can aid in “rewiring” your memories to cope with past trauma.

Is Trauma Passed Down Through DNA?

One potential method of transmission for these experiences is through epigenetic inheritance. Epigenetics refers to the impact of the environment on gene expression specifically whether genes are activated or deactivated. This occurs through modifications to the genome.

Changes to how DNA is packaged within cells, or variations in RNA, which communicates instructions for protein synthesis.

Scientists are investigating whether these epigenetic changes can be passed on to future generations by examining the genomes of sperm and egg cells. According to Isabelle Mansuy.

Epigenetic inheritance occurs when life experiences or environmental factors impact our offspring. For this transmission to occur over generations. The exposure must be sufficiently severe and prolonged. Otherwise.

It may only affect the first generation without any subsequent symptoms in future generations. Mansuys’ research focuses on studying transgenerational trauma in mice. Initially she exposes male mice to trauma by separating them from their mothers shortly after birth.

As these mice grow older and have their own pups. Mansuy observes any behavioral differences in their offspring.

Her findings reveal that cognitive and behavioral differences persist across five generations — offspring, grand offspring, great grand offspring, and beyond — characterized by increased depression rates, antisocial behavior.

And risk taking tendencies. Additionally Mansuy analyzes the sperm of these mice to determine if any alterations in RNA exist as markers of epigenetic changes.

She discovers that traumatized mice have significantly modified sperm RNA levels compared to normal ones; however offspring from these traumatized mice demonstrate normal levels of sperm RNA.

Nevertheless, she observes further epigenetic alterations in the second generations sperm cells. This leads her to speculate that initial changes in RNA response to trauma might transfer over subsequent generations through alterations in sperm cells.

Direct exposure to trauma early in life can cause changes in the RNA of sperm which can persist throughout a persons’ lifetime. However the altered RNA does not necessarily need to be passed down to future generations for the symptoms of trauma to manifest in the grand offspring.

In humans, there is evidence suggesting that traumatic experiences can lead to epigenetic changes. Rachel Yehuda conducted extensive research on Holocaust survivors and their children.

Her studies revealed differences in stress hormone levels between these two generations—specifically cortisol and glucocorticoid. Which are linked to stress, inflammation, and metabolic function.

Yehuda also discovered epigenetic changes in a gene associated with glucocorticoid function, which has been connected to PTSD and depression in both survivors and their children.

According to Yehuda, the children of survivors are born into a psychosocial biological environment shaped by their parents’ adaptation styles. It goes beyond a mere collection of symptoms or epigenetic PTSD; it encompasses a worldview—a way of existing in the world.

In some cases survivors may adopt strict and authoritarian parenting styles while showing less affection and warmth towards their children.

Alternatively, a role reversal dynamic might occur where adults rely on their children for assistance—an incredibly stressful experience for the child. These parenting styles can then be perpetuated when these children become parents themselves.

Leading to the transmission of trauma into the third generation. When individuals become parents themselves they often reflect their own upbringing and parent similarly to how they were raised.

Consequently, this second generation grew up within an environment influenced by their parents’ traumatic experiences. As they had their own children.

They tended to replicate similar parenting patterns established by their parents—resulting in the third generation growing up within this same environment despite the occurrence of genocide decades earlier. The impact continues passing down through each subsequent generation.