Treating Trauma Within The Family
Part 1
Once trauma hits you, it seems like you’ll hold onto it forever. It burrows into the smallest and darkest places of our mind, body, and soul, causing emotional and physical inabilities. Studies have now shown that behavioral issues that comes with trauma, may not only affect the person dealing with it, but could be passed down to their children.
Research conducted at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich tried to lock down this process of hereditary trauma. This trauma has been speculated for many years from therapists who have seen children with similar traumatic symptoms of their parents.
By using mice, these scientists found that traumatic stress can transform “microRNAs” in our system, which includes blood and sperm. This showed irregularities in the microRNA development and cellular process. The mice that had experienced trauma showed remarkably different behavior than those who had not, and when reproducing new mice, these symptoms carried on consistently. Regardless of being exposes to the initial trauma, the offspring of mice still showed behavioral issues that correlated to the original traumatic event.
While hereditary traits have been proven, it is not the only way that traumatic issues can be passed down. People battling with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), for example, could potentially pass along a diagnosis to their children, causing them to experience their own unique PTSD. Essentially, the children are mirroring the parents, behaviorally and traumatically.
According to studies, around 30% of children with parents struggling with PTSD are experiencing their own version of PTSD. This is more common in children with parents who have served in the military and gone to war, but it not limited to only these events. Any traumatic occurrence that holds the power to create personal disturbance, can create an emotional imbalance. It’s no longer safe to assume that the trauma of one will not be the trauma of another.
With these new findings, this has pushed an increase of patients being appropriately treated for trauma. Metro Detroit Counseling, and other likeminded psychologists and therapists, suggest that if you are experiencing trauma, make the efforts to see a professional and get a handle on your behavioral symptoms, before they are potentially passed on to future generations.
In the next section of this entry, we will discover how to handle the treatment of this trauma, and preventative measures for keeping it at bay.
If you feel that you or your family cannot get a handle on trauma, call Metro Detroit Counseling We are ready to set you up with one of our compassionate, understanding, and qualified therapists today.
