The relation between personal, collective and trans-generational trauma and their conditions is still not widely acknowledged and as I embarked on a journey to understand my own traumas I discovered that apart from carrying my own experiences I also carry the ones of my ancestors.
Establish what trauma is and means is the first part.
“Trauma is not what happens to you, it’s what happens inside you as a result of what happened to you.” Dr. Gabor Maté
Experiences such as physical or sexual abuse, neglect during childhood, accidents or natural disasters are events that can happen to all of us, but depending on what happens after such an event is determinative if we will stay with a trauma or not. If, after the event, we had been taken care of by a parent, if we had been comforted and if we were given the space and safety to talk about it, chances are the event would have been stored in our brain as a bad experience. If we hadn't had all of that, the event most likely will be experienced as a trauma and our nervous system would remain in a survival mode.
How we recall the event can be distorted, individually as well as collectively. A dissociation of ourselves and/or our environment can occur.
Collective trauma can occur when a group of people experiences a traumatic event such as a terrorist attack or a natural disaster.
Transgenerational trauma refers to the transmission of trauma from one generation to the next, often through the effects of historical or systemic oppression.
Trauma can cause a range of physical and mental health symptoms. These includes anxiety, depression, hyper-vigilance, dissociation, chronic pain, autoimmune disorders and cardiovascular disease. Dr. Gabor Maté, a renowned expert on addiction and trauma, emphasises the link between early life stress and chronic illness. He believes that trauma affects our brain development and physiology, making us more vulnerable to addiction, chronic pain and other chronic health problems later in life.
Dr. Peter Levine, the founder of Somatic Experiencing, highlights the importance of releasing trauma from the body. He argues that trauma gets stored in our nervous system, which can lead to dysregulation of our autonomic nervous system and chronic stress. His approach focuses on helping individuals release trauma from their bodies through gentle movements and awareness of sensations.
Dr. Stephen Porges, the creator of the Polyvagal Theory, has shown how trauma can impact our nervous system’s ability to regulate itself. He argues that traumatic experiences can disrupt our body’s social engagement system, which can lead to feelings of isolation and disconnection. His approach emphasizes the importance of re-establishing safety and connection in the body to promote healing.
Thomas Hübl, a spiritual teacher and trauma expert, emphasizes the connection between personal and collective trauma. He believes that our individual experiences of trauma are intertwined with larger societal issues, such as racism, poverty and environmental degradation. His approach emphasizes the importance of addressing both individual and collective trauma to promote healing and social change.
Addressing collective and trans-generational trauma requires a broader approach that considers the social, economic and political factors that contribute to these experiences. This may involve community-based interventions that aim to address systemic issues such as poverty, racism and discrimination. It may also involve advocacy for policy changes that address the root causes of trauma, such as improving access to healthcare, education and economic opportunities.
Trauma-informed therapies, such as cognitive-behavioral therapy like mindfulness-based stress reduction, Compassionate Inquiry, Somatic Experience or yoga therapy are some of these approaches are some of the options we have and that being effective in helping individuals address the underlying impacts of trauma on their mental and physical health.
Experts like Gabor Maté, Peter Levine, Stephen Porges, Bessel van der Kolk, Dr. Dan Siegel and Thomas Hübl have helped to shed light on how trauma affects our health and have developed approaches that focus on healing trauma from the body and addressing both individual and collective trauma.
Trauma has profound impact on our physical and mental health individually and in the society. Recognizing this connection is crucial for effective treatment.
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