It Didn't Start with You: How Inherited Family Trauma Shapes Who We Are and How to End the Cycle

the DNA responsible for transmitting physical traits, such as the color of our hair, eyes, and skin—surprisingly makes up less than 2 percent of our total DNA.14 The other 98 percent consists of what is called noncoding DNA (ncDNA), and is responsible for many of the emotional, behavioral, and personality traits we inherit.

that even if humans receive supportive parenting as infants, we are still the recipients of the stress our parents experienced before we were conceived.

DNA methylation, a process that blocks proteins from attaching to a gene, suppressing its expression

According to Rachel Yehuda, epigenetic changes biologically prepare us to cope with the traumas that our parents experienced

With the knowledge that emotions can be biologically communicated and the fact that three generations share the same biological environment of the womb, imagine this scenario: A month before your mother is born, your grandmother receives the devastating news that her husband has been killed in an accident. With a new baby to prepare for, and little space to grieve the loss, your grandmother would likely submerge her emotions into the body she now shares with her daughter and grandchild. You and your mother would know something about that grief from a place deep inside you, a place all three of you share.

Nurturing the Unborn Child: A Nine-Month Program for Soothing, Stimulating, and Communicating with Your Baby

“The mother’s emotions, such as fear, anger, love, hope among others, can biochemically alter the genetic expression of her offspring.”

Because your father’s sperm continues to develop throughout adolescence and adulthood, his sperm continues to be susceptible to traumatic imprints almost up until the point when you are conceived

Your father’s sperm continued to multiply when he reached puberty, whereas your mother was born with her lifetime supply of eggs

When your grandmother was five months pregnant with your mother, the precursor cell of the egg you developed from was already present in your mother’s ovaries