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Do our bodies really carry the memories of 15–20 generations?
Not in the way we remember birthdays or conversations—but yes, there is growing scientific and psychological evidence that:
• Our bodies and brains can inherit emotional patterns, stress responses, and trauma from previous generations.
• This is especially true for severe experiences (e.g. war, famine, abuse, migration).
This idea is often called:
“Generational trauma” or “inherited trauma”
Scientifically:
• Epigenetics studies how certain life experiences can alter gene expression (without changing DNA itself).
• These changes can be passed down to children, sometimes for several generations.
For example:
• Studies on Holocaust survivors’ children showed higher levels of cortisol-related stress responses.
• Mice trained to fear a certain smell passed that fear down genetically to their pups—even if they never experienced it themselves.
So yes—our “bodies” do keep the score, as psychologist Bessel van der Kolk famously wrote.
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Why do we feel angry or sad when life seems “good”?
Because your nervous system doesn’t only respond to present circumstances—it also holds old patterns of survival, pain, or emotional imprinting.
You might feel:
• Chronic anxiety or sadness “for no reason”
• Rage you don’t understand
• Deep fears that don’t match your life story
That might be an echo of something ancestral. Or something from your early childhood before you had words.
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So how do we make use of this knowledge?
Here are a few meaningful approaches:
1. Become aware.
• Just knowing your emotions may be inherited helps remove shame or confusion.
• You’re not broken—you’re carrying stories that may not even be yours.
2. Somatic work (body-based healing)
• Practices like yoga, breathwork, or trauma-informed movement help your body release stored tension.
• Therapy that includes body awareness (like Somatic Experiencing) is powerful.
3. Journaling and reflection
• Write about your family’s history—what pain, fear, or silence may have been passed on?
4. Talk to family (if possible)
• Ask about patterns: depression, anger, survival, addiction, grief.
• Understanding gives context—and power.
5. Heal forward
• You don’t have to relive the pain to break the cycle.
• By naming it, feeling it, and not passing it forward, you’re already transforming it.
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Final Thought:
“You may not be responsible for the pain, but you are responsible for the healing.”