Written by Alicia Cadiz, Licensed Psychotherapist, LMHC
Alicia Cadiz is well-known when it comes to relationships and breakups. She is a Licensed Psychotherapist, CEO, and Founder of Healing With Alicia, a mental health counseling private practice. Alicia helps clients holistically connect the mind, body, and soul as one, most importantly, in a safe space where you can fully trust your therapist.
What if I told you, when your grandma was pregnant with your mother, she was also pregnant with you? Or, because your great-grandmother was married to an alcoholic, you will most likely marry an alcoholic too? And your great-grandmother’s fears, that she never told a soul, lie beneath your subconscious, slowly making way to your own reality? That’s because trauma can be passed down, generation to generation, sometimes even long before we or our future grandchildren are conceived. This term is simply coined Epigenetics, the study of psychology and science, and how our early experiences impact our future.
What is epigenetics?
We have learned that nature versus nurture influences our development at a young age and ultimately makes us who we are as we become adults. Nature, is our DNA, from both of our parents, and nurture, is our environment, how we were raised, the food we ate, and the level of stress or violence in the household. Epigenetics is how your cells develop and how this development at length affects how your genes express themselves.
Examples of epigenetics
For example, if a mother is pregnant and living during World War II, this mother will have a high level of cortisol running through her body due to stress and survival instinct. Therefore, the baby in utero is being exposed to the high levels of cortisol from the mother and this can be affecting the genes of the baby, overall influencing the baby’s future actions and behaviors. In turn, once this mother gives birth and her baby becomes an adult, this adult may have some sort of stress-related illness in the future, or consistently find themselves in high-stress situations, relationships, and environments.
How does epigenetics influence a generational cycle?
Trauma is stored in our bodies and our subconscious mind, and if not recognized or healed, this trauma can be passed on from generation to generation until someone is ready to break the cycle. For example, if a woman was mugged in a parking lot at the age of twenty, and gets away without any harm, she may decide to keep this secret out of fear. This trauma is now stored in her body. When this woman eventually gets married and has a family of her own, and her daughter turns twenty, she will ultimately inherit a fear of being mugged. This fear will be passed down, generation to generation, until someone from the family line is able to confront it or heal from it.
Another example focuses on a baby in utero. If this expectant mother is in a physically abusive relationship with her partner, there is a high possibility that this child will have issues regulating their anger and impulsivity. Think about what actions, feelings and behaviors were surrounding your mother at the time she was pregnant with you. Now, think of your deepest fears, the times you’ve cried yourself to sleep, where your hopes and dreams were let down, and, where your negative emotions are stemming from. There is a very high possibility that your memories that just came to mind parallel situations that your mother experienced when she was either pregnant with you or even before she conceived you.
Ask yourself, “How did my genes develop? In a safe and secure atmosphere? Or a volatile one? What situations was my mother involved in that may have affected my development? Is my go-to comfort responses a product of how my cells developed in utero?”
In addition, we can also see this in first-generation Americans, specifically those who migrated from communist countries. Post-traumatic stress disorder and hoarding are at an all-time high in those who have migrated here as well as their offspring. Many times, those who migrated from communist countries only came to America with the clothes they were wearing and a backpack. This is where Epigenetics comes into play with offspring. Therefore, we usually see offspring not being able to part with anything they own due to fear of losing the tangible item or out of fear of losing a connection with that tangible item. Another pathway can be impulsivity, buying everything in sight, and fear of not being able to bring that item home with them. This is because their descendants did not have a choice, they had to part with all their belongings forever, pushing down their grief and loss.
Another amazing example of Epigenetics is the descendants of Holocaust survivors. Many children, grandchildren, and even great-grandchildren have traces and symptoms of post-traumatic stress Disorder. Epigenetics plays an important role here, specifically when taking a look at Holocaust survivors who experienced starvation, death, and loss, which ultimately led to a diagnosis of PTSD. Therefore, the offspring of those who are Holocaust survivors are running on high levels of cortisol due to the horrendous conditions that their descendants had to endure. Rachel Yehuda has conducted many studies about this particular topic at hand and continues to study the body and how it responds to post-traumatic stress disorder.
How can you start healing from a generational cycle of trauma?
Healing from trauma is never easy, however, it’s more than possible. The first step is taking a step back and looking at your environmental situations, relationships, friendships, and family dynamics. If you feel as though you are constantly surrounded by chaos, and volatile situations, finding yourself in the same patterns of abuse in relationships, or even friendships, you may be suffering from a generational cycle of trauma. The next step is the investigative process, into your family tree, how did your mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother live their lives? Did they endure hardships? Did they live a life of love and happiness? Or do you see similarities of how they lived their life in yourself? Once you have taken a step back and analyzed these aspects about your life, the real healing can begin.
Through therapy I will help you will identify, make parallels, and analyze your past, all while helping guide you to commit to making changes for your future self. It’s time to heal from our past, our descendants’ struggles do not have to tear us down, they can simply push us in the direction of breaking cycles that once had a hold on how we lived our lives. Within time you have the power to heal and overcome obstacles and challenges that seem too familiar to ignore.
Start your healing journey today
Healing may feel overwhelming, but you don't have to face it alone. Take the first step towards breaking your generational cycles of trauma. You have the power to rewrite your narrative. Book your first session here today with Alicia Cadiz, LMHC!
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Alicia Cadiz, Licensed Psychotherapist, LMHC
Alicia Cadiz is a leader, breaking barriers, in the world of mental health. Alicia always knew she wanted to dedicate her life to holistically helping others reach their highest potential. She studied the work of Carl Jung at a young age and bases her therapeutic approach on his teachings. She explores every category of a client, mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual, as she helps uncover your shadows and unconscious self, bringing light and awareness to the parts of ourselves we want to hide. Energy does not lie and neither does the power of the universe.
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