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.

it no longer had to be the defining factor for how I was doing

“Who do you think you are not to have eye problems?”

the day I lost my vision

inherited family patterns

neuroscience, epigenetics, and the science of language

the answer may not lie within our own story as much as in the stories of our parents, grandparents, and even our great-grandparents.

What I failed to realize at the time is that when we try to resist feeling something painful, we often protract the very pain we’re trying to avoid

What I failed to realize at the time is that when we try to resist feeling something painful, we often protract the very pain we’re trying to avoid. Doing so is a prescription for continued suffering.

For better or worse, parents tend to pass on the parenting that they themselves received.