For people struggling with trauma, anxiety, or depression, the journey to healing requires understanding which trauma therapy approaches actually work. Many begin with well-meaning but inadequate advice: “Just think positive thoughts,” “Try meditation,” or “Practice positive affirmations.” While these approaches have value in general wellness, they fall short when addressing the complex neurobiological impact of trauma.
If you’ve tried meditation, positive affirmations, Reiki, yoga, or other wellness practices but still feel stuck, drained, or triggered by past experiences, you’re not alone. Understanding why these methods fail and discovering evidence-based trauma therapy approaches that actually work can transform your healing journey.
The Science Behind Why Positive Affirmations Fail for Trauma
Research reveals a fundamental flaw in how positive affirmations are typically used for trauma recovery. Positive affirmations jump directly from negative feelings to positive ones without addressing the underlying trauma. For a positive affirmation to take hold, its negative counterpart must first be neutralized or desensitized.
This means whatever makes the feeling negative needs to lose its emotional power first. Only then, by adding a positive affirmation to a neutral state, can that positive feeling hold lasting power.
For example, if someone goes from “I am unsafe” to “I am safe,” the safety cannot truly take hold unless the unsafe feeling first loses its emotional charge. The person must no longer be bothered by the original trauma trigger.
The Neurobiological Reality of Trauma
As Bessel van der Kolk, MD, explains in The Body Keeps the Score, trauma’s impact exists in the survival part of the brain, which doesn’t return to baseline after the threat ends. Through brain imaging technology, we can visualize how traumatized individuals struggle to process ordinary, non-threatening information, making it difficult to fully engage in daily life.
Trauma affects the entire human organism; thinking, feeling, relationships, and bodily functions. Survivors often experience:
- Chronic feeling of being unsafe in their bodies
- Visceral warning signs and bodily sensations
- Frozen traumatic images, sounds, or smells in the brain
- Difficulty with emotional regulation
- Recurring patterns and triggers
Why Alternative Therapy Approaches Fall Short for Trauma Healing
Meditation and Mindfulness
While meditation can provide temporary relief and general wellness benefits, it doesn’t specifically resolve underlying trauma issues. Meditation helps manage symptoms but rarely addresses the root cause of traumatic stress stored in the body.
Reiki and Energy Work
Reiki can identify where negative emotions are felt in the body, such as the chest, neck, or legs. However, most energy healing modalities lack specialized tools to actually remove trauma and negative emotions stuck in the body.
Exercise and Yoga
Physical activity and yoga benefit both body and mind and can help clear mental fog. However, when someone has experienced traumatic events like car accidents, painful divorces, or other overwhelming experiences, the negative sensory memories can become frozen in the brain. No amount of yoga or exercise alone can unfreeze those traumatic imprints.
Evidence-Based Trauma Therapy Approaches That Actually Work
Trauma-Focused Therapy Approaches (TF-CBT)
Research demonstrates that TF-CBT effectively reduces symptoms of depression, anxiety, and PTSD. This approach combines:
- Psychoeducation about trauma’s effects
- Coping skills development
- Trauma narrative processing
- Cognitive restructuring of trauma-related beliefs
- Post-treatment planning and relapse prevention
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
EMDR helps process traumatic memories without requiring extensive verbal processing, making it particularly effective for those who find talk therapy challenging or re-traumatizing.
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)
EFT helps clients build emotional regulation skills and learn healthy responses to difficult emotions. This approach is particularly effective for complex trauma survivors.
Body-Based Trauma Therapy Approaches
These therapies recognize that trauma lives in the body and focus on:
- Resensitizing the nervous system to safety
- Completing interrupted fight-or-flight responses
- Restoring a felt sense of control and empowerment
- Processing trauma through body awareness rather than just talk
Find Specialized Trauma Support
If you recognize yourself in this description, feeling stuck despite trying positive approaches, experiencing unexplained anxiety, or finding that the same patterns keep recurring, it may be time to seek specialized trauma support.
Ready to explore evidence-based trauma therapy approaches? Browse our comprehensive directory of trauma-informed therapists who specialize in approaches that actually resolve trauma at its root rather than just managing symptoms.
How Professional Trauma Therapy Approaches Differ from General Counseling
The Tracing Process
Effective trauma therapy approaches often involve tracing current difficulties back to their origins. On average, it takes less than a minute for trained trauma specialists to identify the connection between today’s struggles and past experiences. This linking process clarifies differences between past and present, helping clear current issues successfully.
Specialized Treatment Methods
Talk therapy alone often isn’t enough to heal trauma. Since trauma keeps people stuck in the past, talking about traumatic experiences can sometimes worsen distress. The good news is that specialized treatment methods can resolve trauma with little or no talking required.
Addressing the Unconscious
If you wonder why you feel anxious for no apparent reason at 2 a.m., rest assured there’s always an unconscious cause. Trauma therapy approaches help uncover and resolve these hidden triggers that keep you stuck in survival mode.
Understanding Different Trauma Therapy Approaches and Timelines
The length of trauma therapy approaches depends on several factors:
- How many issues you wish to resolve
- How deeply traumas are embedded in the unconscious
- Your personal healing capacity and resources
- The therapeutic approach used
It’s important to note that there are major traumas (like accidents) and smaller ones (like conflicts with loved ones). The process to resolve them is essentially the same, though the timeline may vary.
FAQ: Common Questions About Modern Trauma Therapy Approaches
Q: How do I know if I need specialized trauma therapy approaches versus regular counseling? A: If you experience recurring patterns, unexplained anxiety, emotional numbness, intrusive thoughts, or feel stuck despite trying positive approaches, trauma-informed therapy approaches may be more appropriate than general counseling.
Q: Will trauma therapy approaches make me feel worse initially? A: Quality trauma therapy approaches prioritize your safety and emotional capacity. While processing can bring up difficult feelings, skilled trauma therapists use techniques to prevent overwhelming or re-traumatizing clients.
Q: How long do trauma therapy approaches typically take? A: The timeline varies based on individual factors, but many people notice significant improvements within 3-6 months of consistent trauma-informed therapy. Complex trauma may require longer treatment.
Q: Can trauma therapy approaches work if I don’t remember my trauma clearly? A: Yes. Many effective trauma therapy approaches work with whatever memory or body sensations you have, regardless of detail or clarity. Your body holds the memory even when your mind doesn’t.
Q: Is it normal to feel resistant to trauma therapy approaches? A: Absolutely. Resistance often indicates your protective system is working. A skilled trauma therapist will work with your resistance compassionately and help you move at a pace that feels safe.
Building Trust and Connection in Healing
Above all, trust and connection between therapist and client are essential for trauma recovery. This therapeutic relationship becomes the foundation for healing because, ultimately, you’ll be working toward the same goals: your healing, growth, and freedom from trauma’s grip.
When choosing a trauma therapist, look for someone who:
- Specializes in trauma-informed approaches
- Creates a sense of safety and trust
- Respects your pace and autonomy
- Uses evidence-based methods
- Understands trauma’s impact on the nervous system
Moving Forward: Your Investment in Healing
Imagine for a moment that you could resolve your trauma symptoms and ease your physical stress responses in the most effective and efficient way possible. How would that change your life? What becomes possible when you’re no longer held hostage by past experiences?
Quality trauma therapy approaches aren’t just an expense, they’re an investment in reclaiming your life, relationships, and peace of mind.
Remember, healing is possible. With the right therapeutic approach and support, you can move from surviving to truly thriving.
Additional Resources
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by Mary Romm, Licensed Professional Counselor in Gloucester, VA
The Scoop on Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
Are these some of the thoughts inside your head?
“I don’t enjoy spending time with my kid anymore.”
“My kid hits/bites/kicks me.”Â
“Another daycare kicked my child out today.”
Are you ready for help?Â
Who PCIT Can Help
As a therapist, I’ve utilized Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) to help children ages 2-7 who have extreme behavioral challenges and seen them learn to listen and behave. I’ve used PCIT in my work with kids who had to wear a monitoring bracelet because they ran away so much, broke mirrors in a rage, and used the shards to carve up furniture, or parents were ready to commit them. Those same kids then listened to their parents, no longer engaged in extreme attention-seeking behaviors, and were able to calm down when they were upset and even talk about their feelings. I’ve seen it work with less intense cases, too, but those aren’t as fun to write about. PCIT works.Â
PCIT can treat most concerns related to children’s behavior. This includes ADHD, anxiety disorder, autism spectrum disorder, oppositional defiant disorder (ODD), selective mutism, trauma-exposed children, and more.
So What Is PCIT?
Parent-Child Interaction Therapy is an evidence-based approach that has 50 years of research behind it. Research shows it keeps children out of therapy for up to seven years, when they hit adolescence and their brain begins to rewire. Lots of the skills you will learn in PCIT will always be relevant — many of them are as good with 6-year-old kids as they are with teens or even adults. PCIT is not a therapy where another adult takes your child and works with them for an hour before bringing them back to you, and you don’t know what they did in that hour. As a therapist, I love working with this age range because I know early intervention is key. (Also, angry 5-year-olds throwing chairs aren’t nearly as scary as angry 14- or 15-year-olds.)
How Does PCIT Work?
There are two phases to PCIT. The first phase is called Child-Directed Interaction, or CDI. I like to picture CDI as laying the stable foundation of a house. CDI teaches you the skills that play therapists use. It helps you begin to enjoy playing with your child again and learn how to manage their behavior with positive attention alone. In this first phase, you’ll already see a huge reduction in behavior issues due to the child receiving quality, purposeful time with the adult and the adult learning many new tactics to manage that child’s behavior without yelling or accidentally reinforcing the behavior. This is foundational work.
The second phase is called Parent-Directed Interaction, or PDI. PDI is where you get specific discipline skills to help you control your child’s behavior. Now that the relationship foundation is completely stable and your skills are memorized, we can move into learning how to consistently and effectively discipline your child.
Throughout PCIT, you’ll track the reduction in your child’s problematic behavior on a form called an Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory, or ECBI. As a parent, you get to rate your child’s behaviors and see how those behaviors change as treatment goes on.
Is PCIT Forever?
Great news! You will graduate from PCIT in as little as 3-6 months if you do the homework and work hard in sessions. PCIT is not a vague therapy where things end when it feels right; there are specific guidelines and instructions on how to graduate from therapy, all of which are parent-driven.Â
How Does PCIT Compare to Other Therapies?
Ideally, because PCIT builds that strong foundation in the Child-Directed Interaction phase, it should be done before any other therapy, even before trauma therapy. Trauma therapy does include several PCIT elements; thus, it is done after PCIT. PCIT should especially be done before talk therapy, as PCIT has the research base behind it. Once kids feel safe and secure in their relationship with their parents, and once parents know how to consistently handle their child’s behaviors, then other therapies can be attempted. However, they usually are not needed at that point.Â
Is PCIT Covered by Insurance?
Yes, as long as your insurance has mental health care coverage and your therapist accepts insurance or is able to be an out-of-network provider, PCIT should be covered.
 To learn more about PCIT, please visit this PCIT info page and PCIT International’s page for parents.
 If you live in Virginia and want to start online PCIT for your child, please visit check out Mary’s practice, Willow Tree Healing Center. You can find more therapists who use PCIT by searching for therapists in your area and filtering your results by Type of Therapy > Parent-Child Interaction Therapy.Â

by Bren Michelle Chasse, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Healing from Trauma Does Not Hinge on a Survivor’s Ability to Forgive
Forgiveness is an evolutionary phenomenon that, historically, has been a necessary part to building and sustaining community (Tooby & Cosmides, 2005)). In early times, it allowed groups to minimize conflict and helped support, foster, and preserve cooperation so that groups could function effectively, thrive, and achieve the goals necessary for their survival. In short, group members needed each other, a fact which didn’t change when a wrong had been done. They had to learn to deal with wrongs and stay alive. Over time, the concept of forgiveness has transformed into a modern-day virtue. Many consider forgiveness to be the moral high ground. There are even mental health providers who believe forgiveness to be the holy grail of healing, identifying it as a necessary therapeutic objective or clinical goal (Luskin, 2003). I am not one of them.Â
A Deeper Look at Forgiveness and Trauma
Research has shown that, in general, people practice forgiveness more readily within their tribe or primary support group, while more likely to withhold forgiveness from those outside their group (McAuliffe & Dunham, 2016). However, this research depends on an assumption of high-functioning group dynamics. Not every relationship we experience in our lives (or even within our own family systems) falls into this category. It is simply inappropriate to generalize and apply a forgiveness model evenly across the board to all relationships. Relationships, by definition, are nuanced and very complex—and so is the experience of trauma. Â
Additionally, not all transgressions are created equal. For example, I may be able to forgive a close friend who lied to me but find myself unwilling or unable to forgive the same friend if they were to assault me. A one-size-fits-all approach to healing simply doesn’t work! More specifically, the forgiveness model, when applied equally across domains, is fundamentally flawed. It fails to account for context, attachment style, cultural implications, personal moral values, organic individual differences, past experiences (including prior trauma exposure), and the depth and breadth of the transgression. Â
Force-Fed Forgiveness?
Unfortunately, I’ve found in my practice that many clients have a history of being force-fed (through various sources) the value and importance of always forgiving. Consider the Lord’s Prayer, which requires we stand humbly before God and ask, “Forgive our trespasses…†and challenges us to “…forgive those that trespass against us.†The pressure to forgive is often applied by those we hold in high regard. When family members, advisors, mentors, close friends, or spiritual leaders insist on this, many clients feeling gaslit, shamed, and forced to betray themselves by placing the needs of their perpetrator above their own.Â
Healing from trauma requires a focus on the self — not on the needs of another. When we claim that forgiveness is a necessary component of healing, we tell survivors that they cannot be whole again unless they extend forgiveness even to those who have committed the most physically and psychologically violent acts imaginable.Â
Making Change Happen
As a society and as therapists, we must begin to change the language and conversation around forgiveness. If we don’t, we maintain the status quo and risk becoming part of the problem. The language we use, especially when we are in a position of power, really matters.Â
We have to change the way we think about this topic as well. An unwillingness to forgive does not directly translate to anger, aggression, seeking revenge, or a refusal to move on, nor does it necessarily equate to a dysfunctional response to trauma. In many cases, survivors simply don’t relate to the concept of forgiveness. The healing journey focuses on creating and enforcing healthy boundaries, refusing to hold toxic secrets, learning to prioritize their own physical and emotional needs, and healing the younger parts of themselves that still feel stuck in the trauma of their past. If forgiveness isn’t part of a survivor’s healing journey, it doesn’t mean there’s something wrong.Â
Be True to Yourself as You Heal
Let me be clear — for those that find forgiveness to be a healing part of your journey, I encourage you to embrace it. If you don’t relate to that, or if you feel forgiveness is a barrier to your healing, I encourage you to honor that. What I am arguing is that not everyone who experiences trauma will benefit from sharing physical, emotional, or psychological space with the person who has harmed them. Forgiveness is not necessarily a required stop along the path toward healing. Simply put, how you heal is up to you!
References
Luskin, F. (2003).  Forgive for good: A proven prescription for health and happiness. Harper One.
McAuliffe, K. & Dunham, Y. (2016). Group bias in cooperative norm enforcement. Philosophical Transactions of The Royal Society B Biological Sciences, 371(1686). doi https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1467-9221.2008.00688.x
Tooby, J. & Cosmides, L. (2005). Conceptual foundations of evolutionary psychology, in Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology, ed. Buss, D. M. Wiley, 5-67.

Understanding Intergenerational Trauma: An Introduction for Clinicians
January 8, 2021 • By Dr. Fabiana Franco, PhD, DAAETS
by Dr. Fabiana Franco, PhD, DAEETS
Simple trauma describes a single, circumscribed traumatic event (such as an assault). Complex trauma occurs when a person experiences a series of repeated traumatic events or when new, unique traumatic incidents occur such as natural disasters. Complex trauma early in life can damage multiple aspects of the child’s development. Complex trauma may involve entire families in incidents of violence, addiction, or poverty. (1)
Historical Trauma
Historical trauma refers to traumatic experiences or events that are shared by a group of people within a society, or even by an entire community, ethnic, or national group. Historical trauma meets three criteria: widespread effects, collective suffering, and malicious intent (2). Historical Trauma Response (HTR) can manifest as substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, anger, violence, and difficulty in emotional regulation (3)
Intergenerational Trauma
Intergenerational trauma (sometimes referred to as trans- or multigenerational trauma) is defined as trauma that gets passed down from those who directly experience an incident to subsequent generations. Intergenerational trauma may begin with a traumatic event affecting an individual, traumatic events affecting multiple family members, or collective trauma affecting larger community, cultural, racial, ethnic, or other groups/populations (historical trauma). Those affected by intergenerational trauma might experience symptoms similar to that of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including hypervigilance, anxiety, and mood dysregulation.
Intergenerational trauma was first identified among the children of Holocaust survivors (4), but recent research has identified intergenerational trauma among other groups such as indigenous populations in North America and Australia (3)(5). In 1988, one study showed that children of Holocaust survivors were overrepresented in psychiatric referrals by 300% (6). The subjects were selected based on having at least one parent or grandparent who was a survivor.
Parenting as an Explanation for the Phenomenon of Intergenerational Trauma
While the existence of intergenerational trauma is well documented in multiple studies across several cultures, the mechanisms of transmission of intergenerational trauma remain unclear.
Trauma’s Effects on Parents
Parents may transmit inborn genetic vulnerabilities triggered by their own traumatic experience or via parenting styles that have been impacted by their trauma (7). Trauma survivors face many challenges when they are parents, including difficulty bonding to and creating healthy emotional attachments with their children. Yael Danieli categorized four adaptation styles amongst the families of survivors: Numb, Victim, Fighters, and Those Who Made It. Survivors who become numb seek silence by self-isolating, have a very low tolerance for stimulation of any kind, and are minimally involved in raising their children. Victims fear and distrust the outside world, try to remain inconspicuous, and are frequently depressed and quarrelsome. Fighters focus on succeeding at all costs and retaining an armor of strength, making them intolerant of weakness or self-pity. Those Who Made It are characterized by their pursuit of socio-economic success but also by the ways in which they intentionally distance themselves both from their experience of trauma and from other survivors (8).
Effects on Children
Children experience and understand the world primarily through direct caregivers and are, therefore, profoundly affected by their parents’ modeling. Children both mimic their parents’ behaviors and learn to navigate future relationships based on how they learned to relate to their parents. Enduring coping mechanisms due to the effects of trauma may be forged out of efforts to avoid and/or “fix†a parent’s abusive behavior, anger, depression, neglect, or other problematic behaviors.
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The Great Famine in Ukraine of 1932-1933 and Intergenerational TraumaÂ
The Holodomor (derived from the Ukrainian “to kill by starvationâ€â€˜) is also known as the Famine-Genocide in Ukraine, the Terror-Famine, the Great Famine, or the Ukrainian Genocide of 1932–33. It resulted from deliberate actions on the part of the authorities in Soviet Ukraine who, under the direction of Joseph Stalin, sought to force collectivization on the ethnic Ukrainian peasant population. This resulted in the deaths of millions (11).
In 2010, Brent Bezo conducted a pilot study to understand the generational impact of the Holodomor. Bezo interviewed 45 people from three generations of 15 Ukrainian families. The first generation survived through the Holodomor: the second and third generations were their children and grandchildren.
The study revealed that the coping mechanisms that the direct survivors had developed during the genocide were retained in the family system and passed down to their children and grandchildren. They described living in “survival mode,†including difficulty trusting people, a food-scarcity mentality, low self-worth, hoarding, social hostility, and risky health behaviors (10).
Aboriginal Communities in Canada and Intergenerational TraumaÂ
Aboriginal communities in Canada suffered from sustained trauma. For generations, Canada tried to forcibly assimilate Aboriginal people by placing them in residential schools, removing children from their families, and generally attempting to eradicate their culture and traditions (5).
The effects of this prolonged trauma have impacted First Nations groups on individual and collective levels, including markedly high rates of depression and self-destructive behaviors compared to the non-Aboriginal population. One of the challenges for mental health professionals working with community members is to understand the effects of intergenerational trauma on their clients, including a well-earned mistrust in the ministries of outsiders.
When Trauma is not Acknowledged – Learning From the Armenian Genocide
Mental health professionals are often unfamiliar with the history of those they seek to treat. Unrecognized and, therefore, unacknowledged traumatic events, such as family trauma or childhood trauma will go on to pose unique challenges for both client and clinician.
Trauma Denied
The Armenian Genocide, during which the Ottoman Turkish Empire massacred 1.5 million Armenians in 1915, is an example of historical trauma that has often been either minimized or denied outright. In fact, the mass murder of Armenians, Assyrian, Greek, and other Christian and religious minority populations of the Ottoman Empire between 1914 and 1923 has yet to be acknowledged as a genocide by the Turkish government (11). It can be especially challenging to cope with an injury while you are still fighting for its acknowledgment a century after it was inflicted. Additionally, due to this lack of formal recognition, Armenian survivors find it difficult to trust non-Armenian mental health professionals with their history and pain (12).
Coping: Family Closeness
Dagirmanjian suggested narrative therapy as a treatment with Armenians (12). Narrative therapy allows survivors to embody and settle into their perception and view of themselves (11). Another important key to working with Armenians is understanding the way Armenians value family closeness. This trait has sometimes been misunderstood and even considered unhealthy by Western clinicians who have been trained to approach family therapy with the goal of promoting individuation (12). In general, it is crucial for the mental health professional to understand the cultural context of the person suffering from trauma, including intergenerational trauma, to provide the most effective and sensitive treatment.
When Trauma Attacks the Core of a Person’s IdentityÂ
Systematic attacks on a person or group’s identity, such as the Holocaust or the Aboriginal experience, are particularly damaging because identity and tradition are essential to perceived meaning in life. Victor Frankl, in his book, Man’s Search for Meaning, describes the imperative for people to feel securely connected to meaning in their life: without specific meaning, it is literally impossible to live (13).
In approaching survivors of historical trauma in which the intent was not only to inflict pain or kill but to demean and, ultimately, erase the identity of an entire people, the therapist must be aware that recovery requires the restoration of morale, identity, and purpose.
Culturally-Mindful Interventions
In Canada’s Aboriginal communities, intergenerational trauma treatment is complicated due to high substance use (which is itself likely a sequela of historical trauma). A valuable 2015 study (14) demonstrated the importance of blending Aboriginal and Western healing methods to treat intergenerational trauma when it was associated with substance use disorder among Aboriginal people in Canada (14). A vital element in this approach is reclaiming and recovering Aboriginal identity, including traditions, philosophies, and practices, and adapting them to current circumstances and needs. Programs that enhanced identity through cultural affiliations, increased cultural awareness through healing circles and family involvement, and were strongly influenced by traditional Aboriginal spirituality contributed significantly to decreases in substance use, domestic violence (which are often associated with substance use), and an overall increase in individual and communal healing (14).
The Role of Epigenetics in Intergenerational Transmission of TraumaÂ
Maternal stress and trauma are associated with health consequences for both mother and child, including low birth weight, fetal growth, and preterm delivery (15). The effect of maternal stress and trauma translate into additional risks for the infant later in life, including hypertension, heart disease, Type II diabetes mellitus, and even cancer (16).
Epigenetics refers to the study of heritable changes in gene expression in response to behavioral and environmental factors that do not change the underlying DNA sequence. In other words, epigenetics is the study of inherited changes in phenotypical properties without a difference in the inherited genetic makeup. Recent studies demonstrate that traumatic events can induce genetic changes in the parents, which may then be transmitted to their children with adverse effects (17).
In 2005, a study conducted to better understand the relationship between the PTSD symptoms of women exposed to the World Trade Center collapse on September 11, 2001, and their infant children’s cortisol levels found lower cortisol levels both in the mothers and their babies (18). Cortisol is a hormone released through the adrenal gland which helps regulate stress response. These findings speak to the importance of factoring epigenetic effects into our evolving understanding of how posttraumatic effects may be transmitted across generations (18).
Take Away Lessons for Mental Health Professionals Treating Intergenerational TraumaÂ
Intergenerational trauma may be transmitted through parenting behaviors, changes in gene expression, and/or other pathways that we have yet to understand fully. These may be biological, social, psychological, and/or a mixture of all three. As we trace these modes of transmission, practitioners will be better able to match interventions to specific factors that either propagate traumatic effects across generations or mitigate against their transmission. Different sources of intergenerational trauma will likely require different approaches. Innovative treatments for multigenerational trauma that borrow from indigenous cultures, acknowledge historical trauma, connect to group identity, and support survivors in finding meaning and purpose in their experience and that of their family and people are already providing practical tools for practitioners and point the way towards future progress for future generations.
References
(1) Courtois, C. A. (2008). Complex trauma, complex reactions: Assessment and treatment. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, S(1), 86-100. Accessed August 24, 2017.
(2) O’Neill L, Fraser T, Kitchenham A, McDonald V (June 2018). “Hidden Burdens: a Review of Intergenerational, Historical and Complex Trauma, Implications for Indigenous Familiesâ€. Journal of Child & Adolescent Trauma. 11 (2): 173–186.
(3) Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart “The historical trauma response among natives and its relationship to substance abuse: A Lakota illustration.†Journal of Psychoactive Drugs 35(1).
(4) Fossion P, Rejas MC, Servais L, Pelc I, Hirsch S (2003). “Family approach with grandchildren of Holocaust survivorsâ€. American Journal of Psychotherapy. 57 (4): 519–27.
(5) Aguiar, W. & Halseth, R. (2015). Aboriginal peoples and Historic Trauma: The processes of intergenerational transmission. Prince George, BC: National Collaborating Centre for Aboriginal Health.
(6) Sigal, J. J., Dinicola, V. F., & Buonvino, M. (1988). Grandchildren of Survivors: Can Negative Effects of Prolonged Exposure to Excessive Stress be Observed Two Generations Later? The Canadian Journal of Psychiatry, 33(3), 207–212.
(7) Bowers, M. E., & Yehuda, R. (2016). Intergenerational Transmission of Stress in Humans. Neuropsychopharmacology: official publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 41(1), 232–244.
(8) Danieli, Y. (1981). Differing adaptational styles in families of survivors of the Nazi Holocaust: Some implications for treatment. Children Today, 10: 6-10.
(9) Werth, Nicolas. 2007. “La grande famine ukrainienne de 1932–1933.†In La terreur et le désarroi: Staline et son système, edited by N. Werth. Paris. ISBN 2-262-02462-6. p. 132.
(10) DeAngelis, T. (2019, February). The legacy of trauma. Monitor on Psychology, 50(2). http://www.apa.org/monitor/2019/02/legacy-trauma
(11) Mangassarian, Selina L. (2016). 100 Years of Trauma: the Armenian Genocide and Intergenerational Cultural Trauma, Journal of Aggression, Maltreatment & Trauma, 25:4, 371-381
(12) Dagirmanjian, S. (2005). Armenian families. In G. McGoldrick & N. Garcia-Preto (Eds.), Ethnicity and family therapy (pp. 437–450). New York, NY: Guilford.
(13) Frankl, V. E. (1984). Man’s search for meaning: An introduction to logotherapy. New York: Simon & Schuster.
(14) Marsh, T.N., Coholic, D., Cote-Meek, S. et al. Blending Aboriginal and Western healing methods to treat intergenerational trauma with substance use disorder in Aboriginal peoples who live in Northeastern Ontario, Canada. Harm Reduct J 12, 14 (2015).
(15) Dunkel-Schetter, C, Wadhwa, P, & Stanton, AL. (2000). Stress and reproduction: Introduction to the special section. Health Psychol; 19(6): 507-509.
(16) Barker, D. J. P. (1998). Mothers, babies and health in later life (2nd ed,). Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone.
(17) Yehuda R, Bierer LM (2009). The relevance of epigenetics to PTSD: implications for the DSM-V. J Trauma Stress 22: 427–434.
(18) Yehuda, Rachel, Mulherin Engel, Stephanie, Brand, Sarah R., Seckl, Jonathan, Marcus, Sue M., Berkowitz, Gertrud S., Transgenerational Effects of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in Babies of Mothers Exposed to the World Trade Center Attacks during Pregnancy, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, Volume 90, Issue 7, 1 July 2005, Pages 4115–4118.
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© Copyright 2021 GoodTherapy.org. All rights reserved. Permission to publish granted by Dr. Fabiana Franco, PhD, DAAETS

