04/03/2026
Both trauma and healing are inherited through a combination of biological, psychological, and behavioral pathways, often referred to as generational or intergenerational transmission.
Trauma is passed down when the psychological or physiological imprints of a parent’s experience affect their descendants. Research suggests that extreme stress can leave chemical “tags” on DNA. While these don’t change the genetic code itself, they act like light switches, turning certain stress-response genes on or off. This can result in offspring being born with a heightened sensitivity to stress or anxiety.
Children naturally absorb how their caregivers handle emotions and conflict. If a parent lives in “survival mode”-using coping mechanisms like emotional numbing, hypervigilance, or aggression-the child may adopt these as their own “normal” way of navigating the world. Trauma is often passed through what is not said. Families may have unspoken rules like “we don’t talk about that” which preserves the pain and leaves the next generation to grapple with “phantoms” or “unfinished psychological tasks” they don’t fully understand.
Thankfully, healing is just as transmissible as trauma, often manifesting as inherited resilience. When an individual processes their own trauma, they change the environment for the next generation. By learning to regulate their own emotions, they provide a stable foundation for their children’s developing nervous system.
Just as trauma can trigger epigenetic changes for stress sensitivity, healing and positive environments can create epigenetic changes that promote resilience. Healing involves replacing harmful habits with healthy ones-such as open communication, emotional regulation, and secure attachment styles. These new patterns become the “family recipes” passed down to future generations.
SEE PMID: 30192087
