The Hidden Trauma in Your DNA
Have you ever felt emotions or body sensations that didn’t seem to belong to you? Surprisingly, science and somatic therapy suggest they might not. Instead, they could be echoes of your ancestors’ unspoken stories, living on through you.
In fact, recent research and somatic wisdom reveal that trauma doesn’t just stop with one generation. Instead, it ripples forward, shaping our nervous systems, behaviors, and even our DNA expression. In other words, the body is more than flesh and bone, it’s an archive of memory, storing what hasn’t yet been resolved.
How Ancestral Trauma Lives in the Body
Somatic pioneer Dr. Peter Levine, founder of Somatic Experiencing, shares a remarkable story from his family. When his mother was eight months pregnant with him, she nearly drowned in a New York lake. By sheer coincidence, Albert Einstein happened to be there and saved her life.
At first, this story may sound like just an extraordinary family tale. However, Dr. Levine later discovered that he carried the imprint of this near-death experience in his body. During somatic explorations, he felt waves of terror, helplessness, and survival shock that didn’t match his personal history. Eventually, he traced these sensations back to his mother’s brush with death in the womb.
Therefore, as Dr. Levine explains, “Our bodies can carry the unfinished stories of those who came before us. When we listen, we don’t just heal ourselves, we bring peace to our ancestors as well.”
The Science of Inherited Trauma from our Ancestors
Furthermore, modern science backs up these insights. Dr. Rachel Yehuda, a leading researcher at Mount Sinai, has shown that trauma can alter gene expression through epigenetics. For example, her studies found that children of Holocaust survivors had changes in their stress-regulating genes, which impacted cortisol levels and emotional resilience.
Moreover, other studies confirm this ripple effect:
Grandchildren of women pregnant during the siege of Hama in Syria showed altered genetic markers decades later.
Trauma during pregnancy can change serotonin transporters and immune cell function, thereby shaping the developing brain.
Childhood trauma leaves epigenetic marks that are linked to psychiatric, neurological, and immune issues later in life.
As a result, trauma doesn’t only shape your story, it can rewrite your biology, as well as that of your descendants.
A Sacred Responsibility
Consequently, healing ancestral trauma is not just self-work. Instead, it reverberates through time. As Grandmother Rita Pitka Blumenstein reminds us, “When we heal ourselves, we heal our ancestors. We heal our descendants.”
Therefore, this work requires compassion and pacing. Not all body memories are meant to be rushed into clarity. Indeed, some are lifelong companions, teaching us reverence for the lineage we carry.
Somatic Practice: Meeting Your Ancestors in the Body
Finally, here’s a simple practice to begin exploring ancestral stories in a safe, grounded way:
Find Stillness – Sit or lie down somewhere quiet. Place one hand on your heart, one on your belly.
Breathe with Intention – Inhale slowly, feeling your breath move into your belly. Exhale gently, releasing tension. Repeat for a few minutes.
Invite the Lineage – Silently ask: “Is there a story my body is carrying from my ancestors?” Notice what arises: an image, sensation, emotion, or memory.
Stay Curious, Not Forceful – Whatever comes, acknowledge it with compassion. You don’t need to analyze. Simply allow it to be seen and felt.
Ground Yourself – When ready, place both feet firmly on the ground. Imagine roots extending into the earth. Take a deep breath and thank your body for what it shared.
This practice, therefore, opens a doorway, not just to personal healing, but to the collective integration of your family line. By remembering our ancestors and listening to the wisdom in our bodies, we can transform inherited trauma into resilience, connection, and even grace. In the end, your healing is never just yours, it’s a gift across generations.
✨ What message or resource do you feel your ancestors have handed down to you today?
If you would like to work one-on-one to support somatic intergenerational trauma integration, please feel free to click here.
To watch a brief video about this blog, click here.
To learn more about the transmission of intergenerational trauma through Dr. Yahuda’s work, click here!
