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Historical Trauma, Collective Trauma and Intergenerational Trauma are interchangeable terms used to describe the cumulative emotional and psychological wounding over the lifespan and across generations, emanating from massive group trauma. (Yellow Horse Brave Heart-Jordan). The new science of epigenetic teaches us that trauma is transmitted from one generation to the next via the physical DNA and environmental factors. We now know that up to 14 generations can be impacted through actual genetics after collective trauma occurs. That is to say, that 2nd and 3rd generation Holocaust survivors may have a change in their DNA resulting in PTSD, Anxiety, Depression and other dis-eases due to the impact of the Holocaust which they never physically experienced. 

African Americans and Africans outside of Africa, are perhaps the only group in the world that do not know where they come from. Africa is a continent of 52 countries and despite the fact that the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade occurred in West Africa, the Gbe-Speaking communities are plentiful with many different tribes, dialects and customs. Through the process of slavery, Africans lost their land, language, religion, ceremonies and last names. They were enslaved, castrated, raped, pillaged and denied a place among the human race.

The Native American genocide is a tragedy that killed millions of people, wiped out entire tribes and forever changed the culture. Through the process of colonization, Native Americans lost their land, language, religion, ceremonies and many lost their last names. During the boarding school horrors, children were raped, sodomized and mercilessly beaten; this terrible time in history saw the loss of the great Native American familial foundation and the destruction of egalitarian ideology.

Mexican American collective trauma is steeped in the colonization of the Americas. It was during that hideous time that the Spanish invaded Mexico devastating the population with Small Pox, other European diseases and war. Millions of people died, the oppressive Spanish Caste System was activated and millions more were tortured under Spanish and subsequently English rule. Mexicans lost their traditional religious practices to Catholicism and were forced to adapt Spanish culture. 

Certainly, the Jewish Holocaust was one of the greatest crimes ever committed against humanity; millions of people were killed and savagely tortured. Despite this devastating history, if we look at markers like literacy, substance abuse, violence, poverty and incarceration, we see great resilience in this population. The difference in the Holocaust is that the affected people maintained their cultural identity. Jews can pilgrimage to Israel, they have a common language, Judaism is among the largest religions in the world, Bar Mitzvahs and other cultural ceremonies are still in tact and they have maintained their last names. All these factors contribute to resilience.

Violence causes trauma. We now know that group trauma transcends entire lifetimes, The key to mitigating damage is forming healthy relationships and reconnecting to culture. Every individual and ethnic group was given the innate tools to heal trauma and disharmony, but the tools must be in tact for resilience to occur. As a society, we can learn how to have trauma informed personal, educational, judicial, and medical interactions that promote neurological regulation and a decrease in the trauma response. The first step is to understand the impact of culture.