Intro to Intergenerational Trauma, Historical Trauma and Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD)
We hear a lot about trauma these days. We talk a lot less about intergenerational trauma, historical trauma and complex post traumatic stress disorder (C-PTSD). "Inter-generational trauma is a concept developed to help explain years of generational challenges within families. It is the transmission (or sending down to younger generations) of the oppressive or traumatic effects of a historical event," (Duke University, 2019). It is the idea that trauma does not just happen to an individual by is rather passed down through a family line creating fractures and problems for generations to come.
My own family was forced to emigrate from China during the communist revolution. My grandparents and mother had to leave their extended families to move to a new country where they experienced hardships including racism. They had to navigate a new place and culture. There may be details of these experiences that I will never consciously know, however my body and my familial relationships have evidence of them. Reading books such as these listed below has helped me improve my conceptualization of my own intergenerational trauma.
Historical trauma is specifically referring to intergenerational trauma that was experienced due to cultural, racial, ethnic, or even religious identity (Boland, Matthew, 2022). Examples of historical trauma can include racism, wars, forced immigration, slavery, and genocide.
These type of traumas have been explored to show biological changes since the 1990s when studies about epigenetics began. Epigenetics is the way environment and behaviors can change our gene expression (CDC, 2022). All three of these ideas can contribute to someone experiencing the newer concept of C-PTSD which rather than centering on a singular traumatic event like PTSD is defined by one's repeated exposures to trauma throughout a period of time (Cleveland Clinic, 2023). Although not everyone who experiences intergenerational and/or historical trauma may develop C-PTSD, it can be helpful to read about this diagnosis as some behaviors or feelings may be similar with other survivors of trauma.