Understanding Transgenerational Trauma Through Personal Stories
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Chapter 1: Exploring the Depths of Transgenerational Trauma
I find myself writing after a session with a client, eager to capture the insights while they are still vivid. My busy schedule often makes it challenging to reflect on our discussions, but today’s session has evoked memories and experiences that resonate deeply with me.
In our sessions, we frequently encounter overarching themes, though they don’t always surface immediately. Initially, we address the client’s immediate pain, which often requires processing their personal traumas. These are often intertwined with ancestral wounds that may be ingrained in our very DNA.
For those who have engaged in therapy for a while, there can be a breakthrough in recognizing and processing these birth traumas. Individuals begin to notice the “background noise” in their minds, which often bears no relation to their current circumstances. It’s common to feel an inexplicable anxiety or sadness, or even irritability for no apparent reason; these feelings are often not our own but rather echoes of unresolved issues residing within us.
Recently, a client shared her experience of having recurring dreams that left her feeling despondent. Despite improvements in her waking life, she found herself grappling with these dreams, often waking and pondering their significance for an extended period.
In our discussion, we touched upon the theme of war, a shared experience that impacts many of us to varying degrees. The legacy of the Second World War is particularly poignant; both of my grandfathers fought, and one even endured a concentration camp in Belarus. This history has haunted me since childhood, instilling a profound sense of injustice and fear. My grandmothers’ experiences of survival amidst starvation also contributed to a narrative of resilience and strength: “We endured—so you can too!”
In my client’s case, we uncovered a more complex narrative. She was grappling with the pain of a young boy who faced abandonment and death, alongside haunting imagery of violence and despair.
Section 1.1: The Role of Dreams in Healing
In therapy, it's crucial to differentiate between feelings that belong to us and those that do not. We worked to cleanse her psyche of these emotionally charged “pictures” filled with fear and grief.
Interestingly, she recalled watching the film “The Boy in the Striped Pajamas” in school, which had a profound impact on her. She identified with the protagonist, experiencing deep empathy for his plight.
This phenomenon is quite common—particularly among children—who may unconsciously adopt the pain and stories of the vulnerable. Filmmakers often express their own transgenerational traumas, inadvertently passing these emotions onto their audiences.
Section 1.2: Connecting Personal and Collective Trauma
This film resonated with her for a valid reason; she carried similar traumas—both her own as an abandoned child and those inherited from her ancestors. We delved into the complexity of her experiences, where personal, familial, and societal traumas intertwine.
We worked to bring these repressed feelings to the surface, often visualized in therapy as dark voids or sucking whirlpools. Recognizing the importance of separating her childlike essence from the alien narratives portrayed in the film, we explored the part of her that wished to protect the boy, embodying a maternal instinct fueled by rage over the suffering of children.
Through our sessions, we facilitated a reconnection between this inner rescuer and her vulnerable child self, redirecting that energy towards healing and reclaiming her identity.