The Hidden Trauma You’ve Inherited: How Generational Wounds May Be Holding You Back

By Kanika Vasudeva

Have you ever felt like you’re carrying emotional weight that doesn’t fully belong to you? No matter how much inner work you do, the same struggles—whether in relationships, money, or self-worth—keep showing up in your life?

The truth is, the pain you feel may not have started with you.

Generational trauma, also known as ancestral trauma, refers to unresolved emotional wounds, limiting beliefs, and survival patterns passed down through families. These inherited imprints shape your fears, behaviors, and even your sense of identity—often without you realizing it.

But just as trauma is passed down, so is healing. Once you recognize these ancestral patterns, you have the power to break free and rewrite your story.

How Does Generational Trauma Get Passed Down?

You’ve likely heard the phrase, “It runs in the family.”

Your family may have a history of financial struggle. Or perhaps the women in your lineage have always been caregivers, sacrificing their own needs for others. You might have grown up seeing patterns of fear, overworking, scarcity, or emotional suppression—without ever questioning where they started.

Science backs this up. Studies in epigenetics show that trauma experienced by past generations can leave molecular scars on DNA, affecting how stress, fear, and survival instincts are passed down. In other words, you may carry inherited pain from your ancestors, even if you never met them.

Signs You May Be Carrying Ancestral Trauma

Sometimes the pain we carry isn’t just our own—it echoes from generations before us. Review the signs below to see if ancestral trauma might be affecting your life.

• You repeat patterns from your family, even when you try not to.
• You swore you’d never end up in toxic relationships like your parents, but somehow, you keep attracting the same dynamics.
• You have deep fears or emotions that don’t seem to have a clear cause.
• You may struggle with anxiety, guilt, or sadness, even though your personal experiences don’t fully explain them.
• You feel blocked in certain areas of your life.
• Maybe no one in your family has ever truly thrived financially, or perhaps love and security have always felt just out of reach.
• You carry a deep sense of responsibility for others.
• You may unconsciously take on burdens, emotions, or even guilt that aren’t yours to hold, often because past generations had to suppress their own feelings to survive.

How Ancestral Healing Can Help You Break Free

The good news? You don’t have to carry ancestral trauma forever. By consciously working with your ancestral lineage, you can begin to:

• Identify and release inherited trauma that has shaped your reality.
• Clear energy blocks passed down through generations.
• Reconnect with the strength, wisdom, and blessings of your ancestors.
• Step into a new future where the past no longer holds you back.

Ways You Can Start Healing Ancestral Trauma

Healing ancestral trauma begins with intention—below are some powerful ways you can start breaking the cycle and reclaim your story.

1. Build Awareness of Your Family Patterns: Reflect on your family history and notice recurring patterns or struggles. Write these down in a journal. Awareness itself begins the healing journey.
2. Engage in Intentional Rituals: Create rituals like lighting candles, writing letters of forgiveness, or dedicating meditation sessions to acknowledge both their struggles and strengths.
3. Practice Meditation and Visualization: Use guided meditations explicitly designed for ancestral healing. Visualize sending healing light and forgiveness back through generations, freeing yourself and your lineage.
4. Set Boundaries and Create New Patterns: Once you identify a harmful family pattern, consciously choose different actions. Saying no, prioritizing self-care, or seeking healthier relationships interrupts inherited cycles.
5. Seek Support Through Community or Therapy: Joining supportive communities or working with therapists specialized in ancestral healing can offer deeper insights and accelerate your healing journey.

Remember, ancestral healing is powerful—and possible. You hold the keys to rewriting your lineage’s story and creating freedom and abundance for future generations.

About the Author

Kanika Vasudeva is a renowned Akashic Records Reader and Energy Healer specializing in helping individuals heal from grief, loss, and deep-rooted subconscious blocks so they can step into peaceful, purpose-driven lives.

After experiencing the devastating loss of her daughter, Kanika uncovered the transformative power of energy healing and the Akashic Records—a sacred tool that reveals ancestral wounds, past-life imprints, and karmic cycles that shape our lives.

Today, she guides clients through profound healing, helping them break free from inherited trauma, dissolve limiting patterns, and realign with their highest potential. Her work is sought after by those ready to break generational cycles, improve relationships, and reclaim their soul’s true path.

You can join her Ancestral Healing Workshop to Break Free from Generational Patterns: https://artoflifecenter.com/ancestors.