You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not murder," and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment. But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment.
Matthew 5:21-22 (NIV)Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me.
Psalm 51:5 (NIV)Trauma in the Body
Here is something that might surprise you. Trauma is not just in your head. It is in your body. It is in your genes. It is in your nervous system. And it can be passed down to your children.
Science is discovering what Scripture hinted at. We inherit more than our eye color. We inherit the effects of what our ancestors went through.
The Science of Epigenetics
There is a field of study called epigenetics. It is the study of how our genes are expressed. And one of the things that has been discovered is that trauma can change how our genes work.
When a person experiences trauma, their body adapts. Their stress response system gets set to high alert. And that adaptation can be passed down to their children. Not the trauma itself, but the response to it.
Body Memory
Studies have shown that children of trauma survivors often have the same stress responses as their parents. Even if they never experienced the trauma themselves. Their bodies remember what their parents bodies remembered.
This science is confirming what we have always known. We are shaped by our families. Not just by what they taught us, but by what they lived through.
The Cycle of Trauma
If your parents grew up in chaos, your nervous system might be wired for chaos. If your parents experienced danger, your body might be on alert for danger. Even if you grew up in a safe home.
This is not your fault. You did not choose this. But it is your responsibility. You have to learn what your body is responding to and retrain it.
Here is the problem. Unhealed trauma creates more trauma. When we are triggered, we respond in ways that might hurt others. We might yell. We might withdraw. We might use substances. We might repeat the patterns we grew up with.
Identify Your Stress Responses
Are you hypervigilant? Quick to anger? Prone to withdrawal? Take a moment to consider how your ancestors trauma might be showing up in you. Name the response. Then ask: what am I actually responding to?
- What stress responses did I inherit?
- What am I actually responding to when I am triggered?
- How am I continuing the cycle without knowing it?
- What would breaking the cycle look like?
- Am I living with inherited stress responses I do not understand?
- Can I retrain my nervous system?
- Am I willing to do the work to break the cycle?
- What would it mean to heal for my children's sake?
Lord, I carry stress responses I did not choose. My body remembers what my ancestors experienced. Help me understand what I am actually responding to. Give me the courage to retrain my nervous system. Break the cycle in me. I heal not just for me, but for the generations to come. In Jesus' name, Amen.
When you heal, you are not just healing yourself. You are breaking the cycle. You are changing the trajectory of your family tree.
With honesty and hope, Claire