What Is Trauma and Intergenerational Trauma?
Trauma is any experience that overwhelms the nervous system, leaving lasting emotional, mental, or physical effects. Intergenerational trauma refers to unresolved trauma passed down through families—via behavior, beliefs, even epigenetic changes (Yehuda et al., 2015).
Trauma can lead to:
Anxiety or depression
Difficulty trusting others
Emotional dysregulation
Diagnoses like PTSD, substance use, or personality disorders
💡 Therapy Approaches for Healing Trauma
Healing isn’t one-size-fits-all. The right therapy can help you process and release trauma in a way that feels safe and empowering.
🧠 Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Helps identify and reframe negative thoughts
Builds coping skills for triggers and emotional responses
👁️ EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
Uses bilateral stimulation to help the brain reprocess traumatic memories
Effective for PTSD and complex trauma (Shapiro, 2017)
✍️ Narrative Therapy
Helps externalize trauma and reshape your story
Useful for family-of-origin and identity-based trauma
🌀 Somatic Therapy
Focuses on the body’s role in storing trauma
Uses breathwork, movement, and felt-sense to release held tension
🎨 Art Therapy (offered here in Tampa, FL)
Supports expression when words fall short
Helps access unconscious material and reduce trauma symptoms through creativity (Malchiodi, 2020)
❤️ You’re Not Broken—You’re Carrying a Story That Deserves Healing
As a Tampa-based therapist and art therapist, I help clients untangle the roots of trauma so they can build new patterns—and futures. Whether your pain started with you or generations before, you can begin to heal.
👉 Let’s talk about what kind of therapy might feel right for you.
📚 References
Yehuda, R., Daskalakis, N. P., Desarnaud, F., et al. (2015). Epigenetic mechanisms in PTSD and intergenerational transmission of trauma. Biological Psychiatry, 78(5), 315–326.
This study explores how trauma can affect gene expression and be passed down through generations.
Shapiro, F. (2017). Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy: Basic Principles, Protocols, and Procedures (3rd ed.). The Guilford Press.
Foundational text on EMDR, explaining how it helps reprocess traumatic memories.
Malchiodi, C. A. (2020). Trauma and Expressive Arts Therapy: Brain, Body, and Imagination in the Healing Process. Guilford Publications.
A leading work on how art therapy facilitates trauma healing through creative expression.
American Psychological Association (APA). (2023). Understanding trauma. https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma
Offers a broad overview of trauma, its symptoms, and effective treatment approaches.
van der Kolk, B. A. (2014). The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma. Viking.
Widely referenced in trauma therapy, particularly for somatic and body-based interventions.
White, M., & Epston, D. (1990). Narrative Means to Therapeutic Ends. Norton.
The foundational book on narrative therapy, exploring how rewriting personal narratives can help resolve trauma.
