According to Science Alert, experiments have been done proving that traumatic experiences are passed down through the generations through our DNA. This means that some of us are programmed since before birth of feel certain fears and these go on to induce certain behaviours. Some research suggests events in our lives can affect the development of our children and perhaps our grandchildren - all without changing the DNA.

Studies have shown both the children and grandchildren of women who survived the Dutch famine of 1944-45 were found to have increased glucose intolerance in adulthood. Other researchers found that descendants of Holocaust survivors have lower levels of the hormone cortisol, which helps our bodies bounce back after trauma.

An Example of Intergenerational Trauma

An intergenerational example of how a trauma in a parents’ life can affect a child could be when I became angry every time a friend kept taking the knife out of my hands when I was chopping onions. My assumption and belief was, that he thought I was incompetent to cut onions. Eventually I hit the roof and shouted that I was more than capable of slicing onions. His reply was “I don’t like watching you cry”. His action had made me feel small which had not been his intention. (His intention had been to protect himself from feeling bad). A memory flashed before me of my mother taking the knife out of my hands after I had cut myself playing with plasticine. (I still have the scar to this day). She wouldn’t let me use a knife again for a long time. Many years later her sister told me that she had been cut very badly with a knife when a child and had almost lost the use of her thumb. Her fears had been passed on to me and had been interpreted as me not being good enough and I was acting them out in my relationship.