Breaking Generational Trauma: Unearthing one skeleton at a time

What Is Generational Trauma and How Is It Passed Down?

Each of us is born with imprints of our ancestors’ experience of life, good or bad. If our ancestors experienced trauma—and most did—and never had a chance to heal, that unprocessed trauma is passed down to us. From a Western medical perspective, these inherited patterns affect us at the cellular level, influencing inflammation and contributing to disease. This process is known as epigenetics.

Shamanic Healing Explains Intergenerational Trauma Through Energy and Spirit
From a shamanic point of view, trauma is not only physical—it’s energetic and mythic. These imprints shape the way we live and perceive the world. For example, descendants of ancestors who endured deprivation often live in a mindset of scarcity, while those rooted in cultures of survival may struggle with emotional expression.

Inherited Trauma Often Disguises Itself as Personality

Intergenerational trauma shows up differently in each person. In modern life, we often mistake ancestral trauma for fixed aspects of our personality. But ancestral healing work reveals that these patterns are not who we truly are—they are inherited survival mechanisms waiting to be released.

How Shamanic Healing Addresses Ancestral Trauma

Shamanic healing journeys into the spiritual realm to identify and heal the root cause of intergenerational trauma. Whether the work focuses on one specific ancestor or heals the entire lineage, the process helps release energetic blockages stored in the body and restore balance to the mind, body, and spirit.

Are You the Healer in Your Family Line?

Often, one person in a generation is more affected by ancestral trauma than others. This person may feel a deep sensitivity, intuition, or pull toward uncovering family history. In shamanic understanding, they are seen as chosen to carry and heal the wounds of the lineage—and in doing so, they release not only themselves, but future generations.

Your Ancestors Leave Gifts as Well as Wounds

It’s not just pain that is passed down. Cultures with strong ancestral practices understand that lineage also carries wisdom, strength, and healing. These gifts—what shamans often call “veins of gold”—are available when we consciously engage with our ancestry in love, respect, and openness.

Real Stories of Ancestral Healing Through Shamanic Practice

Consider Maria, who came to shamanic healing with chronic pelvic pain after visiting family in Kenya. During her session, her late mother appeared and offered healing—Maria’s pain disappeared and has not returned in over six years. Or Alice, a Native American woman suffering from anxiety. Her ancestor, a healer who had died by fire, came through in ceremony to release her from inherited trauma. These examples reflect how deeply this work can transform physical and emotional pain.

Healing Generational Trauma Also Means Reclaiming Your Inner Power

Everyone is affected by the experiences of their ancestors. True ancestral healing is not only about releasing trauma—it’s also about reconnecting with the inner power, wisdom, and love that run through our lineage. In this space of healing, we discover not just who we come from, but who we are meant to become.