5 Thoughts on Transmission of Historical Trauma

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1. National Impact 

Historical trauma can start from a national level and trickle down to an individual if left unprocessed. Colonisation, cultural suppression and oppression appear to contribute to historical trauma. On a national level, this can be seen through political disempowerment, genocide and loss of a collective identity. 

2. Community Impact 

When a community is broken through the national impact, it can cause immense loss. Particularly the loss of children which not only creates a fragmented generation but also a generation of grieving parents. Dependant on the way children were lost, the grieving process itself can be complex and difficult.  

 The stereotyping that accompanies political disempowerment, genocide and a loss of collective identity can further impact the community through conflict and social problems within the community itself.  

 
 3. Family Impact 

The loss and grief of children to families can sometimes leave families dysfunctional due to feelings of anger and helplessness around the loss. This can exhibit through domestic abuse and violence in families when cohesiveness is no longer present. 

 The anger and helplessness can have a community impact through the loss of trust and faith within the community and further fragmentation. Families might begin to isolate themselves and begin to see the rest of the community as "others".  

4. Individual Impact 

In turn, individual trauma is compounded by the family, community and national trauma. Which needless to say has a huge impact. This can take the shape of low self-esteem, mental health problems (covering a wide array of unprocessed trauma) and difficulty with parenting.  

 In addition to this, some individuals might also have to leave their country of birth due to the national trauma of genocide or discrimination. This adds another layer of complexities through navigating a brand new culture of the host country (assimilation).  

5. Generational Impact 

Each generation will face its challenges, whether it was the first generation to be impacted by historical trauma or the third. Family separation, denigration of identity, suppression of culture and all forms of abuse will, of course, make its mark on an individual, a family, a community and a nation. 

Reflective practices, gentle probing and kindness to self can be a good place to start untangling generations worth of trauma.

Sources

Kirmayer, L. J., Gone, J. P., & Moses, J. (2014). Rethinking historical trauma.