Historical/ Intergenerational Trauma

Intergenerational trauma can be a difficult subject to talk about, because it involves naming how our family and community members have reenacted their traumas. There doesn’t need to be blame associated with naming the presence of intergenerational trauma. It will continue to be present in every generation until someone is ready to interrupt the cycle. This can involve healing together and/or naming boundaries. In some cases it means going no contact with our family or community members.

Years of grappling with trauma has shown me something beautiful. Yes, we inherit post-traumatic stress. But we inherit post-traumatic growth too! We can rewire the ways our wise adaptive minds read information. Soothe the fear. Reeducate the vigilance. Keep potential trauma from becoming embedded. Trauma comes to our bodies through relationship, but healing does too. When we reshape how we safely show up in world, we heal & reveal our full Selves & pave the way for healthy whole-hearted children

Trauma can affect people in different ways. I work with clients struggling with acute, chronic, or complex trauma.

Historical and inter-generational trauma is experienced by groups of people - communities, ethnic, cultural, etc. - and can surface in ways that cause a range of psychological and emotional problems that effect the core of a person's identity and self-image. Cultural sensitivity, knowledge and competence are necessary to heal these complex wounds so that each person may embody the richness of their heritage and community.

Life experiences impact all aspects of our being, including our psychology, physiology and how we interact with others and ourselves. Because life experiences can affect us in such layered ways, the impacts of such life experiences can also be passed down in an intergenerational manner through interpersonal learning and biology. At times this may be obvious - like seeing a particular challenge, like violence, running through a family. Other times it’s more subtle, like realizing the different attachment styles that shape the way we react to the world. Sometimes we may even find ourselves afraid of something yet we don’t know why. Or we keep resulting to a coping strategy that does not serve us, yet we feel unable to do otherwise. Through a multi-modal approach that infuses relational, experiential and body-oriented approaches I help clients overcome intergenerational trauma, create healthy boundaries, increase resilience, reclaim their sense of self and create the lives they wish to lead.

I have experience working with Indigenous folks processing their experiences of historical and intergenerational trauma that continue to impact their every day lives and well-being.

That weight on your shoulder will go away. We will talk about some new ways to think and look at this painful story. We will give you skills to manage your thoughts and feelings. You will build confidence as this process unfolds. And then one day you will be on the other side of this life experience. You will be able to talk about it with out crying. You will feel strong again. Your dreams will stop. You can then exhale and feel calm again. You can look forward without these painful experiences

Dr. Shelby specializes in the treatment of religious and relational trauma.

The way we were brought up, including the way we were parented, the messages we were told, and/or the values imposed on us, has impacted on the people we are today (intentionally or not). This includes the relationship we have with ourselves, as well as the peer and romantic relationships we have as adults.

Inner child work may help with those experiencing intergenerational trauma. Inner child work helps explore unprocessed childhood emotions and feelings that currently impact one’s life and understanding, managing, and/or reducing triggers. One desire for inner child work may be to identify wounded areas and/or unmet needs of the child, learn to advocate, protect, or show compassion for the child, create a safe enough space to invite the child to play, and integrate the child with the adult self.

As a trauma therapist, I specialize in helping individuals affected by traumatic events using evidence-based techniques like Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). This approach allows clients to process the emotional and psychological impacts of trauma that may have held them stuck in the past. Through this healing journey, clients can break the cycle of trauma and foster healthier relationships with themselves and others.

Most of my clients are doing the emotional and psychological work of their parents, grandparents and beyond. In other words, our healing what the healing our lineage has needed. Families pass down the good and the bad. I compare this to physical belongings, like heirlooms or unopened boxes. When the "boxes" contain habits, patterns or traits that have caused harm to or are no longer serving my clients, I support them to sort that stuff out in exchange for what heals, helps and brings happiness

The inheritance of emotional wounds passed down from one generation to the next. Not inclusive, it may include such painful experiences such as war, abuse, or oppression... The results of such may be seen in mental, spiritual, emotional, physical..., behaviors that echo the unresolved trauma through time. Using part work, art work, and evidenced based trauma informed therapy. My clients receive the tools, validation and compassion they need to break the cycle and leave a new legacy.

I specialize in treating adult survivors of complex trauma and recognize the impact that historical/intergenerational trauma has on perpetuating cycles of harm within family systems. My goal is never to blame/shame parents or families- rather, my focus is on helping my clients shift from judgment to curiosity in order to better understand learned patterns and find ways to break the cycle of trauma.

Many, due to a number of factors, are haunted by the historical and intergenerational traumas of our ancestors. We can heal from these through a number of ways. The more we ignore it, in ourselves and our own communities, the more we delay our healing.

I have extensive training and experience in working with historic, intergenerational, and complex trauma through my time providing mental health services for NARA, NW and Wolf Pack Consulting and Therapeutic Services. As a relationship therapist, I understand how impactful historical/intergenterational trauma can be on a relationship system and focus much of the work on helping the couple/family identify this trauma and create strategies to minimize it's impact.

I work with clients affected by historical and intergenerational trauma, helping them understand and heal from patterns rooted in their past. I use trauma-informed care to help clients process these experiences and break cycles of pain, fostering emotional resilience and growth.