My Path Into Transforming Invisible Burdens.
As a neuroscientist, I studied the impacts of stress and trauma on mental health for years. But it wasn’t until my own crisis during pregnancy that I was finally forced to confront the invisible & inherited trauma I unconsciously carried.
In this candid interview from February 2022, I share how that experience catalyzed my transition into my work that I now call Generational & Existential Self-Reclamation – a powerful approach blending neuroscience with the ancient wisdom of shamanic and family systems perspectives. My mission is to help others change how they relate to the often-overlooked emotional wounds and ancestral legacies that profoundly shape our inner realities.
You can watch the interview here or read they synopsis below it.
Unveiling Invisible Trauma
The specific origins of trauma don’t matter as much as witnessing how it lives within us. You don’t need to know the exact events, only that your body, emotions, and sensations are telling you something is valid and true.
This is especially true with “invisible or inherited trauma” there isn’t often an explicit event we can point to. We get clues by looking at the thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that are showing up that don’t make sense or are holding us back.
Common “invisible traumas” can stem from childhood emotional neglect, unmet needs, or internalizing chronic stress and oppression. For me, I had to recognize my grandmother’s unresolved grief over her mother’s death and the disowning of her father shaped both my mother’s emotional landscape and choice of partner as those energies trickled down the lineage. And then I had the context in which to see how my father’s untreated bipolar disorder and my mother’s postpartum depression impacted me as a highly sensitive child, contributing to how I carried an inherited “ocean of sadness” from a young age.
The Manifestations of Invisible Wounds
For many clients, invisible trauma expresses through patterns like perfectionism, people-pleasing and burnout.
My own experiences showed up as persistent panic attacks and dissociation when I became pregnant. This led me to finally confront my invisible burdens, even though my backstory didn’t seem “that bad” on paper.
Illuminating The Path of Healing
Rather than dredging up the past, I guide people to tune into their present emotional experiences as a gateway. I never go fishing for things with clients. We focus on what’s coming up now – that’s where the gold lives.
I often use these 3 powerful inquiries to investigate intense emotions:
- Does this match the facts of the situation?
- Is this really mine, or inherited?
- What is this feeling really about?
To help answer the question “Is this really mine, or inherited?”, I created the Ancestral Boundaries and Clearing Meditation to help set boundaries and maintain right relationship with burdened ancestors. You can access this free resource here.
For deeper generational work, I explore with clients where the three “Orders of Love” from Family Constellations work have become disrupted:
- Belonging – Making space for all family members, even after wrongdoing.
- Precedence – Recognizing the order of who came first (parents before children, etc.)
- Matters of Life & Death – Acknowledging violent acts needing resolution.
Examples include remembering forgotten or exiled ancestors, stepping out of “parentified” roles, and accepting life on behalf of ancestors after violent acts.
The Path of Self-Reclamation
My multi-disciplinary approach reveals how our invisible & inherited trauma profoundly shape us. By developing self-awareness, setting boundaries, and navigating familial wounds with compassion, we can break stubborn patterns and reclaim wholeness.
Whenever you’re ready, you can begin with my Ancestral Boundaries and Clearing meditation to differentiate what’s truly yours. Or get started with an Out of The Fog Assessment and Consultation, to identify and navigate the patterns you are tangled up in so you can pave the way for your success in life and work.
