Free Intergenerational Trauma: The Ghosts of Times Past by Thomas Hodge Page A

diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder when a child is diagnosed with RAD.
    The Center for Disease Controls have reported that individuals who suffer from PTSD and other trauma related disorders are at higher rates for the occurrence of various physical ailments such as cancers, ischemic heart disease, and chronic lung disease. Trauma in childhood has been found to correlate to lower levels of well-being in later life. Rates of suicide are significantly higher among individuals with trauma related disorders than the general public. Individuals that experience trauma related disorders have much higher levels of substance abuse, alcoholism, Tabaco use, and overall poorer well-being.
    It is clear to see how trauma produce long lasting effects that impact the health and well-being of an individual. Looking at the numbers and statistics associated with trauma-related disorders and conditions, psychological and physical ailments can be clearly attributed to the impacts of the trauma or, at least, be contributed to the amplification of symptoms and adverse conditions. In treating and providing services to individuals that have experienced trauma, there are numerous barriers between the traumatized individual and achieving a better state of being. Intergenerational trauma typically plays a large part in creating these barriers and reinforcing them over through culture, learning, and repetition.
    Intergenerational trauma is the carryover of the effects of trauma across generations. Intergenerational trauma has also been referred to as trans-generational trauma. When trauma is transmitted across multiple generations through repeated traumatic incidents, it leads to what many refer to as historical trauma or cultural trauma. This effect has taken different names depending on the field of study that examines it and attempts to explain the causes, correlations, and effects of the events. In essence, intergenerational trauma occurs when individuals experience the symptomology of trauma-related disorders due to the experiences of their parents and ancestors. This effect can be seen in several different cultures and groups of people as the traumas of the past can be seen to affect the individuals in the present even though those individuals never directly experienced the trauma.
    Intergenerational trauma has been noted in the carryover effects of single trauma events that have happened to the parents such as has been seen in combat veterans and rape victims. These types of intergenerational trauma are referred to as single event transmissions. Single event transmissions have been shown to manifest in the children with symptoms comparable to those of the parent and as would be expected by an individual that had experienced trauma similar to the parent. In some cases, the transmission of trauma-related symptoms have skipped generations as seen in studies of holocaust survivors and their grandchildren.
    Across multiple generations, the effects of intergenerational trauma have shown increases in the severity of symptoms if the trauma is perpetuated in a manner that is either real or imagined. Often, the effects of cultural norms will compound this impact as the individual’s culture may devalue the negative feelings and effects of the intergenerational trauma. This devaluation of the individual may lead to continued re-traumatization resulting a persistent continuation of the transmission of trauma across many generations.
    It is important to remember that there is a difference between cultural identity and historical trauma. It is very important for an individual to be able to connect with their culture and keep cultural values and ideas alive throughout his or her connections to the past. Historical trauma is the result of tragedies that have befallen a group of people resulting in maladaptive responses to later situations. Intergenerational trauma is escalated as the result of individuals perpetuating the trauma-related symptoms that came