Transgenerational trauma | By @sijosh

Hello STEEM FOR BETTERLIFE Friends,

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When talking about transgenerational trauma, they refer to the impact of emotional, physical or social pain that a person suffers and transmits it to the next generation in a way that surpasses the behavior that by nature and tradition has been learned. It should be noted that, in this topic, epigenetics and the influence that the environment has on us when modifying the expression of specific genes is usually discussed.

Although it is sometimes believed that this trauma is new, the reality is that it has a lot of time. Now, transgenerational trauma or, also known as intergenerational trauma, according to the origin of the study developed after World War II.

During the research they have done regarding this trauma, psychologists were able to verify how the generations that followed by the survivors of the Holocaust, had behaviors that were not appropriate. That is, they were aggressive, did not feel affection towards other people and at the time of sleeping, they had nightmares.

According to mental health specialists, this is the greatest evidence that the trauma their grandparents experienced was present in the grandchildren. It is essential to note that the determination for a person to adopt these behaviors is due to the parenting style they received and at the same time, the educational pattern they had. To these alternatives is also added the constant memory of the past and the recurrent narrative that family dynamics have.

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Transgenerational trauma highlights the psychological disturbance that can result from maintaining a pain from the past in the present. However, it is a situation that will always transcend beyond the generational because, the greatest damage develops when it reaches the genetic level.

An example of this can be broken down in the genetic impact caused by fear and suffering during pregnancy since, if the nervous system of the woman is altered in the gestation time, cortisol levels will be elevated and, that influences the child seen that, alters his organism. Because of this situation, transgenerational trauma, beyond being an adopted behavioral problem, is an induced genetic anomaly.

It is essential to emphasize that, the generations that follow the person who suffered the original trauma, will not develop this disorder in a mandatory way, however, they will be more vulnerable and you will suffer from stress, anxiety, cognitive or emotional disorders and, depression will also be present in this uncomfortable situation.

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Relationship between epigenetics and transgenerational trauma

At school, we are taught that our genes are received by parents and relatives. All this genetic material is responsible for defining how and what will be our physical, emotional, intelligence and certain diseases that we are going to inherit. However, for a long time scientists expressed their doubts when accepting that a trauma can be inscribed through genetic chromosomes.

Now, when epigenetics made the most qualitative leap in the world of more orthodox genetics, it has been possible to explain more accurately several phenomena of mental health. The first study that explained it was: the lifestyle of the human being through our experiences and the genetic changes we have had in the offspring. It should be noted that, epigenetics explains from a small label that the dominant chemistry is the epigenome; being this in charge of modifying all the genes related to human behavior.

Several scientists and psychologists working at Mount Sinai Hospital, were given the task of demonstrating that, all the effects promoted by post-traumatic stress, caused by the situation experienced by Holocaust survivors, encouraged the epigenome to be activated for that reason, at the time of having children, these children inherit the behavior of this trauma and just as they acquire this disease, the other generations to come will also suffer from it.

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To conclude, specialists in the area of mental health recommend that, to stop transgenerational trauma, it is important to go to psychological therapies since, in those sessions you would learn to work the behavior in order to free yourself from the epigenome because, with adequate tools to develop emotional maturity, the level of happiness that activates the gene is achieved and even, the hormones serotonin, endorphin, dopamine and oxytocin that considerably reduces the side effects generated by the epigenome.

Keep in mind that, just as it is not positive to drag traumas from the past, we should not condemn other people to have fears or fears that do not belong to them. Mental health is a very careful subject so let's do what is necessary to have a 100% healthy mind.

Thanks For Reading

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