Intergenerational Cycles of Trauma
By: SeekHer Spotlight | Kristina Coleman
This week, SeekHer Scholar Kristina Coleman talks to us about the intergenerational cycles of trauma and silence that can keep us from our own healing and personal growth.
Thank you so much for sharing your insights and actionable practices to help us use our voice and reclaim our power, Kristina!
How do intergenerational cycles of trauma and silence keep one from healing and personal growth?
For many BIPOC communities, there is a history and a normalization of suffering in silence. Intergenerational traumas have been passed down through our bloodline. Our ancestors did not have the opportunity to heal and survive at the same time. It is important for us as a new generation to recognize that we are no longer in extreme survival mode and that we can begin to heal.
This is not to take away from the racial and systemic traumas that still plague BIPOC communities, but to recognize that healing can only begin when there is awareness and acknowledgement. Staying in silence will not allow one to heal. You must be able to identify what you are healing from and who played a role in it. As descendants of communities that experienced extreme trauma, our internal instincts push us to survive in silence. In our communities, silence and endurance is worn as a badge of honor, a measurement of how strong we are. We must move away from these narratives if we are to truly begin to heal our past and present wounds.
What starting steps can we take to use our voice and reclaim our power?
One step that we can take is to know our history, the real version. Too often people do not have access to the information. The history we are taught in school does not portray the true impact of racial trauma and white supremacy. We must educate ourselves to understand what really happened to our communities and the impact that was left. When you understand history, you can then use your voice to reclaim power. There is so much healing that can happen through education.
For example, when people are trying to heal from trauma caused by a parent, understanding and knowing some of the history of your parent’s life prior to your birth can help gain a tolerance and understanding for some of the pain they may have caused. However, knowing the past can be painful. When you connect your present day behaviors and feelings to your history there is resilience and strength from the past that can be discovered. Utilizing this newfound knowledge in a way that can bring healing, courage, and understanding is one of the most influential ways to reclaim power.
Connect with Kristina Coleman
Instagram: @yourmore0106
Website: yourmore.online
