Transgenerational Trauma: Sometimes We Inherit More Than Eye Colour

When we think about inheritance, we often think about physical traits.

Our smile.
Our eyes.
The way we laugh.

But sometimes, what gets passed down isn’t something we can see.

Sometimes it’s fear.

Silence.

Hypervigilance.

The belief that asking for help is a weakness.

The feeling that love must be earned.

Or the need to always stay busy because rest has never felt safe.

This is often referred to as transgenerational trauma, the way the impact of unresolved trauma can influence future generations through relationships, behaviours, beliefs and the environments we grow up in.

It doesn’t mean trauma is inevitable.

And it certainly doesn’t mean people are defined by the experiences of those who came before them.

But it does invite us to ask different questions.

Instead of wondering,

“Why do I always react like this?”

Perhaps we might ask,

“Where did I learn that this was necessary?”

I’ve often found that some of the behaviours we judge most harshly once served an important purpose.

Being constantly alert may once have kept someone safe.

Avoiding conflict may have protected a family.

Suppressing emotions may have been the only way previous generations knew how to survive.

What helped someone survive yesterday doesn’t always help them thrive today.

And yet, unless someone pauses to understand the story behind those behaviours, they can quietly continue from one generation to the next.

The same is true for organisations.

Cultures are inherited too.

The way leaders communicate.

How conflict is handled.

Whether people feel safe to speak up.

Whether mistakes become opportunities for learning or reasons for blame.

Many organisational cultures aren’t intentionally created.

They’re passed from one leader to the next until someone has the courage to ask,

“Is this still serving us?”

At Nova & Root, we believe becoming trauma informed isn’t about looking backwards to assign blame.

It’s about understanding the stories that have shaped us so we can make different choices moving forward.

Because awareness creates choice.

And choice creates change.

A few reflections to leave with you:

• What beliefs about yourself have you carried for years? Where did they come from?
• Are there patterns in your family or your workplace that have simply become “the way things are”?
• What might change if we approached those patterns with curiosity instead of judgement?
• What legacy are we creating for the people who come after us?

We don’t choose the experiences we’re born into.

But we can choose what we carry forward.

Because healing doesn’t just change one life.

Sometimes…

It changes generations.