Historical trauma

Historical trauma (HT), a term used by social workers, historians and psychologists, refers to the cumulative emotional and psychological wounding of an individual or generation caused by a traumatic experience or event. Historical Trauma Response (HTR) refers to the manifestation of emotions and actions that stem from this perceived trauma.

HTR is exhibited in a variety of ways, most prominently through substance abuse which is used as a vehicle for attempting to numb the pain associated with trauma. HTR often includes other types of self-destructive behavior, such as suicidal thoughts and gestures, depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, anger, violence and difficulty recognizing and expressing emotions. Many historians and scholars believe the manifestations of violence and abuse in certain communities is directly associated with the unresolved grief that accompanies continued trauma.

Historical trauma, and its manifestations, are an example of transgenerational trauma. For example, a pattern of maternal abandonment of a child might be seen across three generations, or the actions of an abusive parents might be seen in continued abuse across generations. These manifestations can also stem from the trauma of events, such as the witnessing of war, genocide or death.

First used by social worker and mental health expert Maria Yellow Horse Brave Heart in the 1980s, scholarships surrounding Historical Trauma has expanded to fields outside of the Lakota communities Yellow Horse Brave Heart studied. Yellow Horse Brave Heart’s scholarship focused on the ways in which the psychological and emotional traumas of colonization, relocation, assimilation and American Indian boarding school have manifested within generations of the Lakota population. Yellow Horse Brave Heart article “Wakiksuyapi: Carrying the Historical Trauma of the Lakota” published in 2000, compares the effects and manifestations of historical trauma on Holocaust survivors and Native American peoples. Her scholarship concluded that the manifestations of trauma, although produced by different events and actions, are exhibited in the similar ways within each afflicted community.

Other significant original research on the mechanisms and transmission of intergenerational trauma has been done by scholars such as Daniel Schechter, whose work builds on the pioneers in this field such as: Judith Kestenberg, Dori Laub, Selma Fraiberg, Alicia Lieberman, Susan Coates, Charles Zeanah, Karlen Lyons-Ruth, Yael Danieli, Rachel Yehuda and others. Although each scholar focuses on a different population – such as Native Americans, African Americans, or Holocaust Survivors – all have concluded that the mechanism and transmission of intergenerational trauma is abundant within communities that experience traumatic events. Daniel Schechter's work has included the study of experimental interventions that may lead to changes in trauma-associated mental representation, that may help in the stopping of intergenerational cycles of violence.

...
Wikipedia