The Legacy of Trauma: Does It Have the Potential to Shape Future Generations?

When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I had a very hard time coping up. I was completing my master's degree and adjusting to my new life, without my husband present most of the time. I was balancing university life with living at my in-laws' house. In Asian households, this living arrangement is very common.

During those early days, there was a lot of adjusting, changing my lifestyle according to theirs, and dealing with a lot of judgment. I felt alone and couldn't live by my own choices. My body was going through many changes, with hormones creating chaos. To top it off, I had morning sickness and was vomiting around the clock.

Now, looking back, I don't understand how I endured it. Actually, I do - by letting it take its toll on my mental wellbeing. Sometimes, it's not about the people around you, their goodness or badness; sometimes, it's the circumstances. It's about them experiencing you for the first time in their lives, the rigidity of conforming to societal standards, and thinking that their way is the only right way. In my case, it was the pressure from society to prove to be a good wife and daughter-in-law, to paint that rosy picture that all is well in paradise.

While writing this, I am reminding myself not to be the cause of someone's troubles, to the point where it affects their offspring. Indeed, up till now, @remlaps must be wondering why I am ranting and venting about such personal matters in his scientific community!

Ever since I read an article that kept appearing on my Google homepage, like asking me, Can trauma be inherited through genes? A life-altering experience “doesn’t just die with you,” one expert says. “It has a life of its own afterwards.”, I couldn't help but ponder. And I couldn't hold it any longer now, so here I am!!!

This line hit me the hardest It has a life of it's own afterwards.

I've been somewhat agitated since reading this. What if some of my traumatic experiences, especially during pregnancy, have been transferred? Then I started wondering what traits I might have inherited from my own mother. Oddly, the paternal genetic makeup doesn't bother me much because, as I understand it, the transfer isn't due to altering genetic makeup or DNA directly. It's more of an epigenetic process, where certain genes are switched on or off. This leads me to imagine that only a mother could pass on such chemical marks on her genes to her offspring.

In the same article, it is quoted:

For some people, the concept that we can carry a legacy of trauma makes sense because it validates their sense that they are more than the sum of their experiences.

A 2018 review There's evidence in this, suggesting a connection between intergenerational trauma and depression. Researchers have found that trauma can be passed down between generations through epigenetic mechanisms. This means that the trauma experienced by ancestors could influence how your genes are expressed.

We need to understand here the difference between genetics and epigenetics, and the changes brought about by these two entities.

Epigenetics refers to the way your behaviors and environment can cause changes that affect the way your genes work. Epigenetics turns genes "on" and "off." It's more like altering not our DNA sequence, but how it’s read and utilized.

Your Epigenetics change as you age, both as part of normal development and aging and because of exposure to environmental factors that happen over the course of your life. Epigenetic changes can affect your health in different ways.

In simple terms, it's about genes being activated or deactivated based on circumstances. This is where my concern or agitation lies. Can trauma, if present, influence the expression of certain genes? What are the effects of acute and chronic stress on this process?

And I am certainly not wrong because it is researched that during pregnancy, factors like a pregnant individual's environment and behavior, such as their diet, can alter the baby's epigenetics. Some of these modifications can persist for decades and may increase the child's susceptibility to certain diseases.

It's not that I'm unfamiliar with the concept; rather, it's not new to me. I did know about it before. Forget about scientific research, heaps of information, stats, and journals supporting this idea. It's something we've been hearing from our ancestors and elders: "You should try to be happy during those days when you are nurturing a new life inside you." But you can also have to hear something like this: "Being pregnant is very much the same as it always has been. What's new? We were like this, like that..."

Words like these make you doubt your own strength. They make you think that maybe it's only you feeling everything with such intensity. What's the big deal? You are not the first and certainly not the last to become a mother or experience those feelings of helplessness.

Did you throw up for the same number of times? Did you live in a joint family? Did you have to get accustomed to the eating habits and timings of those living with you? Or were you a queen in your house just like you are now? If I could say all those words to them then, would it make any difference? Maybe, but chances are slim!

So it's crucial to understand that everyone's circumstances are different. But one thing is the same: the tension does release cortisol, it affects your and your baby's health. It can affect the offspring epigenetically.

Why did I choose to correlate the epigenetic impact of trauma with the topic of "stress versus happiness" during pregnancy? This serves as a hope and a reminder to myself and anyone who may find themselves in a position of power, whose actions can bring about unrest. If you have the potential to cause turmoil, tension, or negative feelings for another person, especially a woman, please bear in mind that you are responsible not only for your actions toward her but also for the impact on future generations. Your actions could influence the activation or deactivation of certain genes in her DNA, as well as the might to push all the wrong buttons. Yes you have this much power! Please be mindful! Please live and let live!

And for those who argue that stress can be natural or from an accident, let me clarify... An acute stressor can never inflict the same epigenetic damage as a chronic one, whether this stress comes from war, a holocaust, or a source as trivial as societal pressures. No acute event can match the generational impact of chronic stress. The prolonged nature of these stresses has the ability to shape generations, wreak havoc on their genetic structures, and leave lasting chemical marks for future generations to inherit.

Something to ponder about!

For me, for you, for every damn person on planet earth!

Edit: @bambuka has a very unique perception and point of view regarding this topic:

Ты поднимаешь довольно сложный вопрос.
Я отвечу тебе на русском языке, так как не уверен, что перевод будет точным с моей стороны.

Я хочу поделиться с тобой своим опытом. Нет, я не имел возможности вынашивать ребёнка в своём чреве :)
Но у меня был период в "прошлой жизни" когда я работал с последствиями психологических травм у разных людей. Так вот.

Не буду говорить про генетику, но на неё порой навешивают проблемы, которые не всегда имеют к ней отношение. Легче объяснить проблему человека, сказав, что "у тебя отягощённая генетика". Это солидно и снимает необходимость глубокой проработки травмы. Это похоже на отговорки (да простят меня истинные генетики))

Когда из поколения в поколение передаются некоторые паттерны поведения, психосоматика - это не обязательно генетика, но обязательно психологическая травма, которая записана в подсознание. Эта травма оказывает влияние на жизнь после травмы. Это влияние проявляется в поведении, реакциях, самочувствии, выходит на уровень психосоматики, "наследственных" болезней. Но источником всего этого (передающегося детям, внукам, ... почитай Эрика Берна "Игры, в которые играют люди...) является непроработанная травма засевшая в подсознании.

Длительный стресс способен хорошо подкреплять начальную травму, сделать её "защищённой и устойчивой". А дальше ... дети копируют родителей и генетика может отдыхать, психика хорошо справится и сама...
И ещё.работая с подсознанием людей я обнаружил, что "первые воспоминания" связаны с внутриутробным периодом. Мы помним даже момент зачатия. Более того, мы помним опыт своих прошлых жизней. Не совсем помним, конечно, в том смысле, что эти записи подсознания недоступны нашему сознанию по его желанию. Но эта запись у нас есть.
И это не генетика.