Childhood and generational trauma leave more than just emotional scars: they leave imprints etched on the body and nervous system. This article explores how to recognize trauma's hidden patterns and how to heal using a holistic, multi-prong approach. These ideas come from my book, Holistic Trauma Healing: Strategies to Integrate the Body, Mind, and Spirit.

In the research for my book, I found that trauma experts agree: trauma is held in the physical body just as intergenerational and childhood trauma go beyond the memories they leave behind. It is etched into our wiring and can manifest in our relationships, both with ourselves and with others. It is a legacy we carry. Sometimes it presents as our inner critic, limiting thoughts, or maybe intrusive thoughts. It may surface in our beliefs and behaviors. The weight of these unresolved wounds often lingers until someone within the family chooses to face and heal them.

Like we say in the caregiver support groups that I facilitate on a mental health network, "As we heal ourselves, we heal our family." This statement is read as part of the opening of each meeting and points to how self-care and healing at the individual level can ripple outward. When one person begins the work of transformation, they create the possibility of strength and healing for the whole family. By confronting and processing the pain, we no longer have to live in it or carry it forward. I know I would rather work on my trauma than stay stuck in it.

Childhood trauma is defined as any deep, distressing experiences in our early years, including physical, emotional, or sexual abuse; neglect; witnessing violence; or growing up in an unstable environment. (The mental health term is Adverse Childhood Experiences, or ACES). Being that children's nervous systems and brains are still developing, trauma in our formative years impacts our self worth, attachment styles, stress response, and our ability to regulate our emotions.

Is it possible for trauma to be inherited? Generational trauma, also called transgenerational trauma, refers to the ongoing transmission of pain and dysfunction from one generation to the next. This can occur when families experience unhealed trauma—such as war, displacement, abuse, mental illness, or addiction—and unknowingly pass down harmful coping patterns and limiting beliefs.

Transgenerational or generational trauma, as the transmission of trauma from one generation to the next, can stem from large-scale tragedies like slavery, genocide, or colonization. It can also come from family patterns like abuse or neglect. These traumas can get passed down through stories, behaviors, and even epigenetic changes, biological markers that influence how our genes are expressed. Epigenetics can also refer to how things like diet, physical activity, and stress levels can change not only our own health, but that of our children, grandchildren, and other descendants.

Science shows that healing from trauma requires more than just insight or talk therapy. While those are both important, healing trauma requires a multi-prong approach that honors the body, mind, and spirit. The good news is that holistic healing modalities like EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), polyvagal work, somatic therapy, somatic yoga, and other spiritual practices offer transformative paths to recovery.

How Trauma Is Stored in the Body
In many families, trauma isn't spoken about. Instead, it is transmitted. What isn't expressed through words can be communicated through body language, emotional responses, and even those epigenetic markers. Science shows that healing from trauma requires more than insight. It requires embodied practice.

According to trauma experts like Bessel van der Kolk and Peter Levine, trauma lodges in the nervous system, muscles, and breath. Even when the mind has forgotten, the body remembers. If you are wondering about how to identify trauma in your body, look for the tell-tale signals.

Signs Your Body May Be Holding Trauma:

• Chronic muscle tightness or tension
• Digestive issues, fatigue, or autoimmune symptoms
• Hypervigilance or over-reactive stress responses
• Emotional shutdown or dissociation
• Self-sabotage or negative inner dialogue

It is important to know that these are not weaknesses; rather, they are signs that your body has been doing its best to protect you and may now be ready to heal. I want to give you a process for discovering if your body is holding trauma and three key dimensions of holistic healing for your body, mind, and spirit along with their corresponding complementary practices.

Healing the Body: Somatic and Polyvagal-Based Work
The first key for healing the body is Somatic and Polyvagal-based work, which is used for regulating the nervous system to release trauma. Somatic therapy helps bring awareness to physical sensations and gently discharges trauma stored in the body. Instead of talk therapy or focusing just on the narrative, it guides clients to track their inner sensations, reconnect with their body cues, and balance their nervous system.

Polyvagal theory was developed by Stephen Porges and shows how our vagus nerve governs whether we feel safe, threatened, or shut down. Trauma can keep us stuck in "fight, flight, or freeze" states. Healing involves gently coaxing the system back into a regulated, calm state.

Examples of these types of body-based practices to support healing are trauma-informed yoga and qigong, breathwork, and practices like vagal toning (which includes things like singing, humming, gargling, and cold exposure). Grounding and body scanning exercises are also helpful. Just as trauma can be inherited, wellbeing and resilience can also be passed down. As you will see, the body becomes not just a site of pain but also a place of possibility.

Healing the Mind: EMDR, Parts Work/Inner Child Work, and Awareness
While the body holds the trauma, the mind often tells the story. EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) is one of the most effective therapies for rewiring traumatic memories. It uses bilateral stimulation (like eye movements and kinesthetic tapping) to help the brain process events that were previously overwhelming.

Parts Work and Inner Child work involve connecting with the parts of us that were hurt or neglected in childhood or in trying times. By reparenting or reclaiming these parts through visualization, affirmations, or journaling, we begin to release old shame and create new emotional pathways. I am reminded of a phrase, "It is never too late to have a happy childhood," which means that it is never too late to grow, heal, and embrace a more vibrant, joyful life. Our personal growth, joy, and emotional fulfillment are not limited by age or past experiences. By nurturing our inner child and tending to the unmet needs of our earlier years, we open the door to greater self-understanding and happiness.

Cognitive tools could include trauma-focused CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy). Both are types of talk therapy that can help manage mental health conditions. CBT focuses on changing negative thoughts and behaviors, while DBT builds upon CBT by adding mindfulness and emotional regulation skills, particularly useful for those experiencing intense emotions. Other cognitive tools could include journaling and reflective dialogue to help bring awareness to inherited narratives and family patterns—so we can choose which ones to keep and which ones to break.

Healing the Spirit: Ritual, Ancestral Connection, and Meaning-Making
Generational trauma often stems from large-scale historical events like slavery, genocide, war, or colonization. But it also hides in everyday family dynamics through secrecy, silence, shame, or survival-based parenting (where the focus is solely on getting through each day, often due to overwhelming stress or challenging circumstances, rather than actively engaging in long-term parenting goals). Spiritual and symbolic practices can help address these deeper roots. Rituals, storytelling, family constellations therapy, and even genealogy research can offer profound insight into the burdens we carry and also the strengths we inherit.

Tips to Break the Cycle of Generational Trauma
If you are a parent, it's crucial to go through generational trauma healing in addition to opening up conversations with your children, cousins, grandkids, etc. about your lived experiences.

• Have a discussion with your parents or other close family members about their experiences and coping mechanisms.
• Observe any ingrained patterns, attitudes, or stories from your family that you still perpetuate.
• Discuss these issues with a dependable friend, relative, or therapist, and think about finding another means of coping or communicating.
• Develop understanding and sympathy for your family and the difficulties they faced. Take note that many of our predecessors sacrificed a lot of their time and effort for us to live better lives, despite their shortcomings.

Dear reader, please remember: just as generational trauma can be passed down through family lines, the potential for healing and wellbeing can also be part of our heritage. No matter where we are in life, I feel it's possible to heal old wounds and rediscover a sense of wholeness. I believe that wellbeing is both our birthright and our natural state. As adults, we have the power to reclaim joy, engage in meaningful experiences, and create the emotional well-being that may have once been missing. We did not choose our trauma, because trauma is most often characterized by a lack of choice. But, we can choose to heal it.

Healing is not a straight line. Instead, it can be seen as a spiral. As I mention in Holistic Trauma Healing, sometimes it may seem like we are circling over an old issue when in fact it can actually be an upward spiral where we can see from a higher perspective just how far we have come. The spiral could also be a slow returning to safety, to self, to softness. In my experience, healing also comes in waves, so it could also ebb and flow. Whatever the cadence, we don't have to do it all at once. When we can look back and realize we did the best we could in a difficult situation it is evidence of a healthy perspective.

As we begin to untangle the trauma woven into our lineage, we claim not just survival but also joy. We show our bodies that safety is possible. We show our minds that new beliefs are available. And we show our spirit that peace is our rightful inheritance. Just as trauma is passed down, so is resilience, wisdom, and the capacity to heal. We are the turning point. As Gandhi said, "Be the change."