Intergenerational Trauma Therapy: Break the Cycle, Reclaim Your Self.

Heal inherited family patterns, release emotional burdens, and reconnect with your authentic self through compassionate intergenerational trauma therapy in San Diego and online.

Break free from the emotional weight of intergenerational trauma—heal suppressed anger, chronic guilt, boundary issues, and patterns of over-responsibility passed down through generations.

Know that you’re not alone — and that these may be signs of intergenerational trauma.

You might be the one everyone leans on — the reliable one, the caretaker, the “good” one. Or maybe you’re the one who challenged the rules, felt misunderstood, or carried the label of being “too much” or “too emotional.” Whether you kept the peace or disrupted the pattern, you’ve carried more than your share. And now… something inside you is stirring. A quiet knowing that it’s time to stop carrying what was never yours to hold.

You find yourself wondering:

  • Why do I struggle to feel happy even when things are going well?

  • Why does it feel so difficult to prioritize my own needs?

  • How do I stop numbing and shutting down when I feel overwhelmed?

  • Why do I feel responsible for everyone else?

  • How do I heal and do things differently when I’ve never been shown how?

  • What will happen if I stop being the one who takes care of everyone around me?

  • What will happen when I finally peer behind that door I’ve always kept closed?

Maybe you feel irritated or angry, only to talk yourself out of it. Or you're stuck in cycles of worry, followed by waves of low mood or numbness. You’re not alone in wondering when things will finally shift. This stuckness — this emotional weight — may be rooted in intergenerational trauma and cultural patterns you were never meant to carry.

Whether it shows up as perfectionism, people-pleasing, guilt, disconnection, or shame, these inherited survival strategies often run deep. And when cultural expectations, generational silence, or systemic oppression are layered on top, it can feel even more complicated to untangle.

It’s normal to feel vulnerable asking for help — especially when the pain feels like it’s part of your story, your identity, or your culture. But healing intergenerational trauma is possible. Working with a culturally aware intergenerational trauma therapist can help you explore these patterns safely, honor where you come from, and begin to redefine what you want to carry forward.

There is wisdom in your emotions, even when they feel overwhelming or unfamiliar. If you’re seeking therapy for intergenerational trauma, cultural trauma, or family-of-origin struggles, you’re not alone — and you don’t have to navigate it alone either. You're here now, and that’s a powerful first step toward healing.

What Is Intergenerational Trauma Therapy?

At Nourished Wellness Group, we understand how generational trauma can quietly shape our relationships, roles, and sense of self — especially in emotionally complex or high-functioning families where silence was louder than words, and vulnerability wasn’t safe.

Intergenerational trauma therapy is a healing process that helps you explore the emotional, psychological, and relational patterns passed down through your family — even when no one spoke about them.

These patterns may show up as:

  • Anxiety, guilt, and feeling overly responsible for others’ emotions

  • A deep fear of being a burden or not enough

  • Difficulty trusting others or voicing your own needs

  • Chronic people pleasing and emotional suppression

  • The belief that you have to hold it all together

This work honors the strength and survival in your lineage, while also supporting you in breaking generational cycles that no longer serve your wellbeing. It invites compassion for your ancestors and for the parts of you that are still carrying their pain.

Through therapy, you learn to:

  • Reconnect with your emotional self

  • Trust your inner wisdom and intuition

  • Build a life with more freedom, grounding, and self-trust

You Might Be Carrying Intergenerational Trauma If You:

  • Struggle with emotional suppression or often feel numb/disconnected from your inner world

  • Took on caretaking roles early in life (often becoming the parent to your own parents or siblings)

  • Constantly feel pressure to be “fine,” even when overwhelmed

  • Experience difficulty setting boundaries with family

  • Fear vulnerability because it hasn’t felt safe

  • Swing between emotional numbness and intensity (numbing or lashing out)

  • Question your worth, decisions, or ability to advocate for yourself

  • Withdraw or shut down after being dismissed, ignored, or misunderstood

  • Grew up with little to no models of emotional expression or healthy communication

  • Feel deep fatigue from always holding it together

This may especially resonate if you identify as a parentified child, a high-functioning anxious person, or the one who had to grow up too soon.

Wondering Where to Start?

You don’t need to have the “right” words or a clear story to begin. You might just know that something feels off — that you’re tired of carrying so much, and that a part of you is craving more ease, more wholeness, more truth. That’s enough.

Therapy can be a space where we gently piece things together — where you can show up exactly as you are, without needing to have it all figured out. Whether you’re exploring cultural identity, family dynamics, or childhood emotional neglect for the first time, there’s no wrong place to begin. At Nourished Wellness Group, we have therapists who specialize in this type of work and are here to walk alongside you — with care, cultural awareness, and a deep respect for your lived experience.

Our Approach to Healing Generational Trauma

At Nourished Wellness Group, we offer a holistic, integrative approach rooted in mind-body connection, trauma-informed care, and deep respect for your unique lived experience. We support clients both in-person and virtually across San Diego County and California.

Our services include:

  • Trauma-Informed Therapy that honors your pace, boundaries, and nervous system

  • Attachment Therapy & Inner Child Work to reconnect with parts of you that have felt minimized or dismissed

  • Somatic Therapy and mindfulness-based practices to help you safely tune into your body

  • IFS (Internal Family Systems Therapy) to explore and heal inner “parts” shaped by generational patterns

  • Psychodynamic Exploration to understand how unconscious beliefs and early experiences shape your present

  • Culturally-Responsive, Social Justice-Informed Therapy to hold space for the lived experiences of BIPOC, immigrants, and first-generation individuals navigating systemic and family trauma

Healing intergenerational trauma doesn’t mean erasing where you come from. It means expanding who you get to be.

Whether you’re a first-generation child of immigrants, a cycle-breaker, or someone simply longing to feel more like yourself, we’re here to walk with you. Let’s begin the journey toward healing — not just for you, but for the generations that follow.

FAQs About Intergenerational In-Person Trauma Therapy in San Diego, California

  • Intergenerational trauma therapy is a specialized form of therapy that explores emotional, psychological, and relational patterns passed down through your family system. These patterns — like emotional suppression, people pleasing, chronic guilt, or anxiety — can affect your daily life, even if no one ever talked about them. This therapy helps you break generational cycles, reconnect with your emotional self, and create more freedom in how you relate to others and yourself.

  • You might be carrying intergenerational trauma if you often feel overly responsible for others, numb or disconnected from your emotions, or if you find it hard to voice your needs. Other signs include fear of vulnerability, being the “caretaker” or “strong one” in your family, or having trouble setting boundaries. These struggles are common in people who grew up in environments where emotions were minimized or roles were rigid. Therapy can help you identify and gently shift these inherited patterns.

  • Yes. Healing doesn’t happen overnight, but with the right support, intergenerational trauma therapy can help you understand how family dynamics shaped your emotional responses and self-beliefs. Through approaches like IFS, somatic therapy, and inner child work, you can begin to separate what’s truly yours from what was passed down. This healing creates space for new ways of relating — to yourself, your family, and the world.

  • Not at all. Therapy for intergenerational trauma isn’t about blaming parents or rejecting your culture or roots. It’s about making sense of what shaped you — with compassion — and learning how to care for the parts of you that still carry emotional pain. Many clients find that doing this work allows them to show up with more love, clearer boundaries, and deeper authenticity in their relationships.

    If you’re wondering how therapy might impact your relationship with your family, especially if you come from a background where loyalty to family is deeply valued — we hear you.

    Intergenerational trauma therapy isn’t about blaming your parents or rejecting your roots. It’s about gaining clarity on how patterns formed, how they’ve impacted you, and how to honor both your family and yourself.

    Many of our clients come to this work feeling torn — between compassion for where their family came from and care for the parts of themselves that are hurting. This therapy helps you create space to hold both truths. And often, by tending to your own healing, you’re able to show up in relationships with more authenticity, less resentment, and clearer boundaries.

  • We use a holistic, integrative approach that includes:

    • Internal Family Systems (IFS)

    • Somatic therapy and mindfulness-based practices

    • Attachment and inner child work

    • Psychodynamic exploration

    • Trauma-informed, culturally-sensitive therapy

    These methods work together to support your nervous system, emotional processing, and connection to your intuitive self.

For answers to your questions about therapy with Nourished Wellness Group, we invite you to visit our Rates & FAQs page.