17/07/2025
I have identified three of the initial aspects of generational trauma as it goes from one generation to the next that complicate the already difficult task of ending the cycle. First, we often don’t know that the emotional and mental challenges we face are a result of generational trauma. Sometimes we think, 'this is how my family has always and must continue to function, this is who we are.' Not like the trauma that started in your lifetime, generational trauma often occurred so long ago that its originator or perpetrator may be unknown or no longer alive. Finally, with awareness of the trauma, we are mandated to work to find the appropriate mental health professionals for the family. We need a professional to help us separate what is not damaging about your emotions and behaviors from the dangerous ones that we have normalized. We can now stop the cycle and not pass it to the next generation. We are going to take a close look at legacy trauma, that lingering impact of generational trauma through the eyes of an ethnic group.
Yeah, let’s play the other race card. Native Americans, the Indigenous people of the Americas are the unfortunate expert survivors of such trauma generational trauma while simultaneously living in the current abuse and the never ending impact and consequences of historical abuse. For more information about the history of this horrific legacy, current abuse and how people are healing, follow the writer, Suzanne Methot. Her latest book Legacy: Trauma, Story and Indigenous Healing, also comes with a workbook. Note the healing points.
To learn more about resources available for trauma survivors, go to SAMHSA, The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. This the national agency responsible for providing information about resources available for treatment and current statistics about different types of trauma and their symptoms, please visit: https://search.usa.gov/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&affiliate=samhsa_main&query=+trauma&commit=Search