The smells of the refugee shelter, the stress situations of a temporary period of uncertainty, the trauma of homes destroyed in the war, the absence of relatives or their disappearance or death continue to have impact generations later due to the traumatisation of the family members who have experienced it. We can be affected differently by the news of war if we know the sufferings our families have experienced in the past. The fear reaction in connection with a family dispute or even a conflict at work with colleagues or with friends may be stronger if it has become ingrained in us that these situations had painful outcomes in the past.

Traumas are not mysteriously inherited

The damage done to the security of the world, the painful losses and deficiencies experienced in relationships due to the traumas suffered, are transmitted from generation to generation. At the same time, these losses pass on, without any mystery, the behaviour, reactions and approaches to a solution of the previously traumatised generation to the new generation, through the difficulties in relationships and connections. For example, a parent fleeing war is inevitably unable to provide the emotionally safe and predictable environment for his or her child, which would be necessary for the healthy development, because obviously, when the whole family is under threat, his or her capacity to do so is decreased in the struggle for survival. In a state of constant alert, this parent pays more attention to every small environmental stimulus, tries to be prepared to detect potential danger, but this reactivity to environmental stimuli may persist later, when the threat has already passed.

These transgenerational traumas can also make everyday life more difficult with other symptoms: anxiety levels in the family may be higher, depression may develop from generation to generation, panic attacks and increased sensitive state of alert may be common. An unreasonable fear of injury or even death may arise in a situation that seems harmless to an outsider. The younger generation may also carry problems related to low self-esteem and lack of self-doubt. Or – as an example of another typical consequence – it can hinder someone from achieving their desires and goals if they have learned not to stand out at all, keep their head down, blend in with the crowd, because standing out is dangerous. In this way, the chance of success is more threatening than gratifying.

Long-term trauma is inherited biologically and psychologically

Living in such a way that a condition believed to be temporary becoming permanent is extremely stressful. Waiting is nerve-wracking which does not go away without a trace, especially for children. But returning to a life without war is not an easy task either. After all, we carry with us the memory of uncertainty, deprivation and pain. Trust can be slowly rebuilt.

The family and the individual may be more sensitive to stress, meaning that after a difficult situation, the affected person or the family community may find it more difficult to regain both physical and mental balance. A person with an exhausted, weakened body may be more susceptible to illness, in which there may be more conditions with psychosomatic symptoms.

It has now been scientifically proven – through studies of the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, the circumstances of Kurds – that these severe and long-lasting traumas are inherited partly biologically and partly psychologically. Trauma can also have a prolonged impact on the quality of stimulus processing and the body’s immune responses. For example, this is how the increased anxiety mentioned above may appear as one of the body’s signals to fearful stressful situations. All of this can lead to genetic changes that can be passed on to later generations through the transmission of the modified genetic material.

The psychological transmission of trauma is manifested in the way of behaviour with children and with grandchildren, in coping with situations, and in managing vulnerability. Family narratives, the telling of experienced stories will have an impact on future generations not only in Ukraine but also in Russia.

The healing power of therapeutic relationships, the context of safe environment and time

Transgenerational, intergenerational trauma represents a complex condition. It takes time and needs a serious mental support process to deal with and later stop the intergenerational psychological transmission. Finding new, adaptive ways of coping will lead to healing later on, so that descendants can live their own lives without the traumas, fears and anxieties of the previous generations. It will be a long time until these generations can reclaim their lives – constrained by trauma from the past. Healing, therapeutic relationships can help to separate the carried and inherited experiences of the past, from the experiences and opportunities of the present. In Hungary, Teréz Virág’s work with Holocaust survivors is unavoidable on this subject.

(Lilla Gerlinger, clinical psychologist, provided professional assistance for the preparation of this article.)