Healing from Generational Trauma.
Our external world from childhood shapes the adult we become. The environment in which we live moulds our personality and how we show up in the world. We form defences and coping strategies based on our experiences. What a lot of people may not realise is that these experiences can be tracked back to the womb. As we grow in our mother’s womb we can pick up on trauma and anxiety, which may lead to negative coping strategies as we grow. We may have no idea where certain fears or anxieties come from, but modern research suggests that the experiences of the mother can hugely impact upon the growing baby’s psychological development. So, any trauma or psychological distress our mother feels, we too will feel but without the awareness of where it comes from. The good news is that there are ways to work through this and heal from it. It all depends on which model works best for you. The first step to any form of healing is awareness. You may not be able to identify what was going on for your mother whilst she was pregnant with you, but with time and therapeutic support you will be able to start building a picture of where any generational trauma will sit within you. Get curious about yourself and the reasons behind your anxiety and behaviour, then seek the support which aligns with your own values and beliefs.
For a long time, it has been suggested that depression and anxiety can be linked to the genes we are given from our parents. The work of Bruce Lipton which focuses on Epigenetics, shows us that it is the environment in which we grow, that creates the way we think and behave. The environment of a child before the age of 7 is crucial for the emotional development and can be the foundation for adulthood. This is where we can create limiting beliefs and negative conditions of worth. As we pick up on the energy of our parents, we pick up on the words they use and soak this in as the reality of the world. We develop a view of ourselves, and the world based on the perspective of our care givers and those closest to us. If those who care for us, view the world as a negative or scary place to be, then that is the world we will see. The interesting thing with this is that our perspective can be changed. If we see the world as a difficult and negative place to be, we will live a negative and difficult life. If we can rewire our thought process by delving into our subconscious mind and healing the trauma of not only ourselves, but that which we picked up from our parents, then we are able to switch the perspective to view the world in a more positive light. In turn living a happier, more fulfilling life. (Is there a way to change subconscious patterns? - Bruce H. Lipton, PhD).
The way our world is formed and how we develop within it is not usually within our conscious awareness. Our conditioning comes from the wiring of our subconscious mind. It is ingrained into the deepest parts of our minds; we may have no awareness of this until starting on the journey of self-discovery. It is usually when we are unhappy with something in our life that we seek to find out more about ourselves, we become curious to why we feel and behave in certain ways. The desire to change the negative aspects of our life can lead us to the long-winded path of self-discovery, where we dive into the deepest parts of all that we are. It is not an easy linear process to uncovering generational trauma, healing or changing any negative behaviours and habits. It is however worth it. To become aware of the things that hold is back in life, gives us the knowledge and power to change it. It creates opportunities to completely rewrite ourselves and the way we live our life. Just because we were dealt a certain hand of cards at birth does not mean that we can’t reshuffle when we’ve had enough of the game.
Step back, re-evaluate and dig deep into the realms of your conditioning to rewrite your life.
Who knows what you will find or where it will lead you.