Intergenerational Trauma & Growth
Trauma is not just personal—it is passed down through generations, woven into families, cultures, and collective memory. At MLC, we recognize that intergenerational trauma is both an emotional and systemic experience, shaped by histories of colonization, enslavement, migration, war, displacement, family dynamics, and cultural loss. But alongside trauma, there is also intergenerational strength, resilience, and wisdom that can be reclaimed.
Many of the struggles people face today—anxiety, depression, survival-based coping mechanisms, patterns in relationships, feelings of guilt or obligation, struggles with belonging—may not have started with them, but were inherited from the generations before. Instead of focusing only on how trauma is carried forward, we also explore:
- Unpacking Family & Cultural Legacies – How have past experiences of oppression, loss, or survival shaped family dynamics, beliefs, and coping strategies?
- Breaking Cycles Without Rejecting Ancestry – How can we heal patterns of harm, silence, or emotional suppression while still honoring where we come from?
- Healing Beyond the Individual – Many therapy models focus only on individual healing, but we recognize that healing is also collective—it happens in families, communities, and across generations.
- Cultural Reconnection & Ancestral Healing – For many, healing involves reclaiming cultural practices, spirituality, and ways of being that were erased or shamed by colonialism and assimilation pressures.
- Turning Survival Strategies into Growth – Many of the coping mechanisms passed down to us were once necessary for survival. We explore how to honor that resilience while creating space for new ways of thriving.
Healing intergenerational trauma means understanding it, making sense of it, and deciding what you want to carry forward. Growth is not just about breaking cycles—it’s about choosing how to build something new, rooted in healing, self-trust, and liberation.
