![]() The concept that hit me most was that the dysfunction stops here. I couldn’t help but think how things were passed on. ![]() “I did see Taryn do the exact same things as I did: the same drugs, the same involvement with drug dealers, really unhealthy relationships. “It struck me at that time, like, ‘Wow, these things just kind of go on,’” Nickel says. The concept that hit me most was that the dysfunction stops here.” -Dawn Nickel I did see Taryn do the exact same things as I did: the same drugs, the same involvement with drug dealers, really unhealthy relationships. As Nickel did her own self-work in therapy after getting sober and exiting an abusive relationship, she came to the alarming realization that her daughter, Strong, was involved in the same patterns of behaviors. Nickel says her own mother faced trauma due to her father’s experiences in World War II: A peaceful man who was drafted to serve his country, he returned from the war addicted to drugs and alcohol and suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and inflicted violence on her mother. While Strong didn’t grow up in a household where she observed active addiction-Nickel had found recovery by the time Strong was two years old-her own mental health challenges, substance misuse and domestically violent relationships were uncannily similar to those of her mother. ![]() According to the APA, the collective trauma responses might include substance abuse, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, anger and suicidal thinking.Īs individuals witness or are directly exposed to violent struggles, the psychological repercussions are passed down, even if they’re not acknowledged or understood. This theory is widely understood through the lens of the catastrophic events inflicted on Indigenous communities due to colonialism in North America-forced relocation, land dispossession and loss of spiritual practices, language and culture. Intergenerational trauma, also known as generational or transgenerational trauma, is defined by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) as unconscious grief from historical trauma passed down from generation to generation. All the light bulbs went off, and it set me on this really beautiful journey of healing with my mom.” What Is Intergenerational Trauma? When I heard that, things just started to click. What we don’t heal in our lifetime we bestow and pass forward to the next seven generations. “I had heard through Indigenous knowledge that we carry the trauma of our ancestors. “When I got to the point where I was really starting to examine-to zoom out and look at the patterns, behaviors and addictions that I was engaged in-it was undeniable that I was repeating the exact same patterns and habits that my mom did in her active addiction,” Strong says. Knowing firsthand the impact of intergenerational trauma, both women have traveled their own paths into recovery. In their mission to inspire hope, reduce stigma and empower women, Nickel and Strong have tapped into their resources, individual interests and desire to cultivate a community that is informed and able to overcome the obstacles of addiction. When I got to the point where I was really starting to examine-to zoom out and look at the patterns, behaviors and addictions that I was engaged in-it was undeniable that I was repeating the exact same patterns and habits that my mom did in her active addiction.” -Taryn Strong Co-founders Dawn Nickel, Ph.D., CPRC, and Taryn Strong, RYT, CPRC, are a mother-daughter duo who believe that they can help to create better addiction and mental health outcomes by spreading awareness about intergenerational trauma. The She Recovers Foundation, an international grassroots movement of women who are in or seeking recovery, is taking on the task of educating women and their families about the role that heritage plays in the misuse of substances. However, research is revealing another component: intergenerational trauma. Often, the suffering is attributed to parental modeling or genetic predisposition. Many models of addiction treatment espouse that mental health issues and substance abuse disorders are passed down from one generation to the next. Mother-daughter duo Dawn Nickel and Taryn Strong have made it their mission to help women heal from the wounds that are passed from generation to generation
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