A family tree is an interesting metaphor. Each new generation inherits something from its ancestors through genetic connections, just like every new branch grows out of the one before it. While each branch is different from the rest, just like any family member is unique, all are linked through the tree trunk to their shared roots. What might this metaphorical tree trunk and roots be in the context of a family? A community? A society? Perhaps the answer that most closely approaches the experience of life from a human perspective is stories.
We do not inherit stories as genes, but they get passed along in various forms of culture. And what about traumatic experiences from past generations? Sometimes, these stories remain silent, untold, and yet… can we still feel their presence in our family trees? I believe we can, and I think we are shaped by the known and the unknown stories, those that are kept under a lock and gradually create an illusion of absence.
In a short video I share today, writer Elif Shafak explores how we can, perhaps unexpectedly, find ourselves the inheritors of psychological trauma we have not experienced but nonetheless feel its lingering grip extending from past generations who lived through it. She also notes the vital role of the (un)expressed family stories in this kind of inheritance. Somewhat ironically, stories are both the means of harming and healing.
Link to the video: How to cope with inherited trauma.
Keeping up the “Spreading the Word” tradition, I hope to share an insightful and mind-broadening article, podcast episode or video every weekend. Humans have always turned and returned to storytelling to find meaning. My end-of-week “Spreading the Word” posts are an online sharing of meaningful stories.
keep exploring and storytelling!
P.S. Thank you for visiting me here on the humanfactor.blog! If you enjoyed this post and are interested in more philosophical content, I invite you to explore the blog, leave a comment, like, and subscribe to get notified of new posts.
Image credit: Photo used from Unsplash
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