Epigenetics and intergenerational trauma
EMDR has been heavily researched as an effective treatment option for processing and reconciling with trauma-based memories so that symptoms of trauma ultimately disappear.
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Regardless of the origin of traumatic symptoms, experiencing traumatic symptoms is traumatic in and of itself, and EMDR is extremely effective for healing symptoms of trauma, inherited or otherwise.Įye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing ( EMDR) therapy is a proven form of psychotherapy that has been especially healing for people who are struggling to cope with PTSD symptoms and traumatic memories. In other words, nervous twitches, certain behavioral habits, and fears can be inherited through observational learning. For example, there are many studies that indicate that anxious habits and other fight or flight stress responses can be learned behaviors. Another way that inherited trauma can manifest itself is through learned behaviors. As the retelling of traumatic ancestral narratives are retold and passed down, the lasting impact can resonate with the new generation who often experience PTSD symptoms in an attempt to cope with the traumatizing memories they inherited. One such way that traumatic symptoms can be inherited through epigenetics is through memories passed down from generation to generation – such as with cultural trauma as one example. Rather, epigenetics demonstrates how traumatic symptoms and responses can be taught and thus passed on through learned behavior. Through an epigenetics perspective, inherited trauma does not necessarily mean that traumatic events have the power to genetically alter someone’s DNA nor the genetic code of their children. Epigenetics is the study of how environments and learned behaviors can alter the way a particular gene is expressed.
![epigenetics and intergenerational trauma epigenetics and intergenerational trauma](https://www.frontiersin.org/files/Articles/798362/fphar-12-798362-HTML/image_m/fphar-12-798362-g002.jpg)
While the research surrounding “inherited trauma” is still relatively new, the notion of inherited trauma is research-backed by the proven concept of epigenetics. Inherited trauma is the concept that past traumatic events and caretakers with a Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD) can play a highly influential role in the way future generations react and respond to their surroundings.