Breaking the Chains: How To Identify and Release Intergenerational Trauma

Intergenerational trauma—sometimes called ancestral trauma or inherited trauma—is an invisible thread woven through families, influencing beliefs, behaviors, and emotional responses. It is trauma that has been passed down from one generation to the next, shaping how we navigate the world, often without us realizing it.

Many of us carry fears, patterns, and emotional wounds that seem to have no clear origin. Why do we feel anxious in certain situations when we’ve never experienced direct harm? Why do we struggle with feelings of unworthiness, despite external success? Why do we repeat relationship or parenting patterns that we swore we would never replicate?

Science and holistic healing traditions now recognize that trauma is not just a personal experience but something that can be inherited through epigenetics, family dynamics, and cultural conditioning​​. However, just as trauma can be passed down, it can also be released. The chains that bind us to the past can be broken through conscious healing, self-awareness, and practices like Ancestral Clearing.

This blog will help you:

• Recognize signs that you are carrying intergenerational trauma.
• Understand how trauma is passed down through families.
• Discover effective techniques to clear inherited emotional burdens and create a new path forward.

What Is Intergenerational Trauma?

Intergenerational trauma refers to the emotional, psychological, and even physical wounds passed down from ancestors who experienced significant hardship, pain, or oppression. Unlike personal trauma—where an individual undergoes a traumatic event—intergenerational trauma is often silent and unseen, but it leaves deep imprints.

How Trauma Gets Passed Down

Trauma can be passed down in three primary ways:

1. Epigenetics: Trauma in Our DNA

Studies show that traumatic experiences can alter gene expression, affecting how stress and emotions are regulated in future generations. A well-known study by Rachel Yehuda and her colleagues on Holocaust survivors found that their descendants had altered cortisol levels, making them more prone to anxiety and stress​.

Similar findings have been observed in descendants of war survivors, Indigenous communities affected by colonization, and families with histories of addiction, abuse, or chronic illness. These inherited stress patterns can lead to increased sensitivity to stress, difficulty regulating emotions, and heightened anxiety levels.

2. Family Dynamics: Learned Emotional Patterns

Children absorb their parents’ and grandparents’ behaviors, coping mechanisms, and emotional responses—whether consciously or unconsciously. If a parent struggles with unresolved trauma, they may exhibit emotional withdrawal, excessive worry, or difficulty expressing love, which can shape a child’s worldview.

For example:

• A child raised by a parent with unprocessed grief may grow up fearing abandonment, even in stable relationships.
• A family that suppresses emotions due to past hardships may create an environment where emotional expression feels unsafe.
• A lineage of financial insecurity may instill a scarcity mindset, even when financial conditions improve.

3. Cultural and Societal Trauma

Some traumas extend beyond families, impacting entire cultural and ethnic groups. Examples include:

• The descendants of enslaved people carrying the burden of systemic oppression and inherited survival strategies.
• Immigrant families experiencing generational displacement and identity struggles.
• Women in patriarchal societies who inherit generations of suppressed voice and autonomy.

Understanding these roots allows us to acknowledge that some of our deepest struggles are not just ours alone but part of a bigger historical narrative.

Signs You Are Carrying Intergenerational Trauma

How do you know if the patterns you struggle with are inherited rather than personal? Here are key signs:

1. Unexplained Fears, Anxiety, or Emotional Reactions

• Feeling overwhelmed by emotions that don’t seem to have a direct cause.
• Experiencing fear or grief over situations that are not your own (e.g., feeling deep sadness about war despite never experiencing it).
• A chronic sense of guilt, shame, or unworthiness, even when, logically, you have done nothing wrong.

2. Recurring Negative Family Patterns

• Generations of strained parental relationships, addiction, abuse, or financial struggle.
• A tendency for family members to shut down emotions, suppress pain, or avoid deep conversations.
• Feeling like you must “carry the burden” for your family, emotionally or financially.

3. Chronic Stress or Physical Symptoms

• Experiencing chronic pain, autoimmune disorders, or digestive issues with no clear medical cause​.
• Feeling a persistent sense of “fight or flight” anxiety, even in calm situations.
• Having trouble relaxing, trusting, or feeling safe in your own body.

Recognizing these patterns is the first step toward healing. The next step is actively working to release what no longer serves you.

How to Release Intergenerational Trauma

Healing generational wounds requires intentional work. While therapy and inner reflection are valuable, specific energy healing and mindfulness practices can help dissolve deep-rooted trauma on a cellular and energetic level​​.

1. Ancestral Clearing: Releasing Inherited Burdens

Ancestral Clearing is a healing practice designed to release the energetic imprints of past trauma from the body, mind, and spirit. It was pioneered by Howard Wills and further developed and taught by John Newton of Health Beyond Belief, LLC. I am a trained Ancestral Clearing Practitioner who has used it to help people break free from inherited pain, chronic stress, and emotional blocks​.

2. Breathwork & Meditation for Trauma Release

Breathwork is a powerful tool for resetting the nervous system and clearing stored trauma. Practicing deep, rhythmic breathing can help regulate stress responses and bring unresolved emotions to the surface​.

Simple Breathwork Exercise:

1. Inhale deeply for four seconds.
2. Hold your breath for four seconds.
3. Exhale slowly for six to eight seconds.
4. Repeat for five to ten minutes while focusing on releasing tension.

3. Movement-Based Healing: Yoga & Dance

Because trauma is stored in the body, movement-based practices like yoga, Qigong, or intuitive dance can help release stored emotional energy. Many people experience emotional breakthroughs simply by moving their bodies in intentional ways​.

4. Rituals to Honor and Release Ancestors

Creating a personal ritual to acknowledge and release intergenerational trauma can be deeply healing. This may include:

• Lighting a candle in honor of your ancestors.
• Writing a letter of gratitude and forgiveness to those who came before you.
• Burning limiting beliefs written on paper as a symbolic release.

Charting A New Path Forward

Healing intergenerational trauma is about more than just breaking free from the past—it’s about creating a new future. When we release old wounds, we not only transform ourselves but shift the legacy for future generations​.

You have the power to rewrite the story. By recognizing inherited patterns and practicing Ancestral Clearing, breathwork, and movement-based healing, you can break free and step into greater joy, abundance, and freedom.

The healing starts with you. Are you ready?

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Elizabeth Kipp

Elizabeth is a Health Facilitator, Empowerment Coach, EFT/Tapping and Ancestral Clearing Practitioner, and Kundalini Yoga Teacher, helping people to step into the power of their own healing. She has turned her attention as a patient advocate and health facilitator in service to the alarmingly high population of people who suffer from stress, chronic pain, and the quest for a life free from suffering.