Yehuda, Rachel, and Amy Lehrner. “Intergenerational transmission of trauma effects: putative role of epigenetic mechanisms.” World psychiatry: official journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA) vol. 17,3 (2018): 243-257. doi:10.1002/wps.20568
“On the simplest level, the concept of intergenerational trauma acknowledges that exposure to extremely adverse events impacts individuals to such a great extent that their offspring find themselves grappling with their parents’ post‐traumatic state.” (Yehuda et al.)
How does oppression affect you?
Following the idea of intergenerational trauma, we know that the effects faced during slavery can still affect us today. With racism comes trauma, something we know too well due to the copious amount of tactics used on enslaved people. Black women in America have been victimized due to their race and sex, the intersectionalities making them an even bigger target.
In Dr. Joy Degruy’s book, “Post Traumatic Slave Disorder,” she explains that intergenerational trauma within the Black community stems from slavery and the continuation of oppression that minorities face hence, displaying a form of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) experienced by the whole community. Furthermore, she details that the trauma witnessed and endured during slavery has the potential to impact Black Americans today. Not to mention, the events that occurred after slavery, systemic racism, Jim Crow Laws, health disparities, and economic disadvantages that our ancestors struggled with (and still do) affect us today. Specifically for Black women, these ideas are hurting us physically and mentally. Among many other things, it has forced Black women into a box where we don’t allow ourselves to constantly break the cycle and voice the pain we experience. We don’t see the need to be vulnerable because our ancestors never were. As I’ve said in past blogs, this can lead to a myriad of mental illnesses and eventually deteriorate your mental health. We need to be mindful of what past generations have experienced and how they dealt with those experiences, so history doesn’t have an opportunity to repeat itself. Find healthy outlets to allow yourself to feel uncomfortable feelings and, if needed, express those feelings to others. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to be vulnerable and try your best to break those generational curses.
Reflect on what your ancestors and past generations had to endure and ask, were they living or just surviving?