Healing Intergenerational Trauma Intensive
In Fall of 2022, I underwent Dr. Peter Levine’s ‘Healing Intergenerational Trauma’ Intensive.
Throughout this 2-part intensive, we practiced bringing our stories of origin into awareness and observed them with open eyes, an open heart, and an open mind. During this process, we also were called to connect with our ancestral resources, to further support us on our path to greater healing.
Dr. Levine’s theory on Intergenerational trauma is that often, unbeknown to us, we may be influenced by events and circumstances that our ancestors (and their ancestors in turn) have experienced during their lifetimes. This generational pattern is grounded in an energetic presence of unresolved trauma responses that were once activated for protection and have been passed on from generation to generation. These lingering “ghosts” can still have powerful influences on our emotions, reactions, behaviors, and choices. These influences are often far out of our conscious awareness, but by exploring our unconscious connection to our lineage, that neither time nor distance alters, we can be capable of connecting to the complexities of our family line with healing reverence.
This intensive, which included lectures, demonstrations, practice exercises and breakout discussions was catered towards therapeutic practitioners, mindfulness teachers, and wellness experts.
The goals of the Intensive for attendees were as follows:
To explore transgenerational transmission of trauma-based patterns over time
To leave equipped to bring ancestral awareness into our therapeutic practices
To analyze the possible role of epigenetics in trauma transmission
To identify behaviors and emotions which may have trans-generational components.
To demonstrate practices to cultivate ancestral resources
To integrate how we learn how to accept life, both in the past and present
To help clients by access and process their own transgenerational trauma