INTRODUCTION:
Trauma is often conceptualized as a discrete event, yet a growing body of research demonstrates that its effects can be transmitted across generations through biology, attachment patterns, cultural narratives, and systemic oppression.¹-³ descendants of those who have experienced colonization, displacement, war, or family violence frequently present with anxiety, identity fragmentation, and relational difficulties that reflect intergenerational and historical trauma, even when the original events are unnamed.⁴-⁸

METHODS:
This session integrates findings from complex trauma theory, epigenetics, and culturally responsive practice with clinical case vignettes and composite narratives from diverse communities.¹-⁸ presenters synthesize qualitative and quantitative research on intergenerational trauma among indigenous peoples, refugee families, and marginalized groups with practice-based evidence from psychotherapy, community programs, and faith-based settings. Teaching methods include a brief didactic overview, guided reflection, small-group dialogue, and a legacy-oriented storytelling exercise.

RESULTS:
participants are introduced to a practical framework that differentiates intergenerational from historical trauma and identifies key mechanisms of transmission, including emotional modeling, attachment disruptions, cultural silence, and institutional betrayal.²,⁵,⁸ case examples illustrate how unprocessed historical loss, racialized violence, and family secrecy can manifest in later generations as hypervigilance, somatic distress, and difficulties with trust and belonging.¹,²,⁴,⁶ the session highlights trauma-informed strategies such as narrative repair, family storytelling, culturally grounded rituals, and community-based healing circles, demonstrating how these approaches can promote resilience, identity restoration, and intergenerational reconnection.³,⁴,⁷

CONCLUSIONS:
intergenerational and historical trauma require responses that extend beyond individual symptom reduction to address family systems, collective memory, and structural contexts. By combining research, culturally responsive frameworks, and concrete practices, this session offers clinicians, educators, and community leaders tools to recognize inherited wounds, disrupt cycles of transmission, and co-create spaces for healing rooted in story, relationship, and cultural strength.