Family trauma is rarely a single event; more often, it is an invisible thread woven through generations, manifesting as reactive parenting, chronic anxiety, or unexplained emotional distance. When we speak of “patterns,” we are referring to the neurobiological and systemic legacy that is passed down when pain is not transformed.
At Cedar Tree Counseling in Tulsa, OK, we specialize in identifying these generational echoes. Our approach to healing family trauma is rigorous and clinically advanced, moving beyond surface-level symptoms to address the root “scripts” that have governed your family system for decades.
Understanding Intergenerational Transmission
Trauma is not just “remembered”; it is “inherited.” Recent research in epigenetics and neurobiology suggests that the physiological stress responses of our ancestors can influence our own nervous system’s “baseline.”
- The Blueprint: You may be carrying a “survival map” created by a grandparent’s experience of poverty, war, or displacement.
- The Feedback Loop: When a parent’s trauma remains unprocessed, it creates a “frightened or frightening” attachment style, which the child then internalizes as their own model for the world.
- The Manifestation: In families, this often looks like “Emotional Cutoff,” “Enmeshment,” or “Parentification” (where a child takes on the emotional burden of the adult).
Our Clinical Framework for Trauma Resolution
We utilize an expert-level, multi-modal approach to ensure that the healing is both systemic and permanent.
1. The Genogram: Mapping the Trauma Narrative
We don’t just ask about your parents; we map the “emotional DNA” of your entire lineage. Using a clinical Genogram, we identify “Hot Spots”—recurring patterns of addiction, divorce, mental health struggles, or secrets that have been silenced over generations.
2. Internal Family Systems (IFS) for Systems
We view the family as a collection of “Parts.” Often, the “angry” family member or the “withdrawn” one is actually playing a protective role that was necessary for the family’s survival in a previous generation. We help the family recognize these parts so they can move from “reacting” to “relating.”
3. Polyvagal Theory & Somatic Safety
Family trauma is stored in the body. If the “energy” in the room is constantly high-tension, the children’s nervous systems cannot develop properly. We teach families how to Co-Regulate—using the calm of one nervous system to anchor another—thereby breaking the cycle of physiological dysregulation.
Breaking the “Legacy of Silence”
Trauma thrives in secrecy. Our work involves the courageous act of Naming. By bringing the “Invisible Loyalties” (unconscious debts we feel we owe to our ancestors’ pain) into the light, we strip them of their power.