How Trauma Travels Through Generations and Changes Your Genes – Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D., with Dave Asprey : 769

Dec 8, 2020

In this discussion, Rachel Yehuda, a leading expert in PTSD and epigenetics, delves into how trauma can transcend generations. She explains the complex role cortisol plays as both a stress and anti-stress hormone, reshaping our understanding of the stress response. Rachel highlights the impact of intergenerational trauma on mental health and discusses the importance of gratitude and forgiveness in healing. She also touches on the promise of psychedelics in treating PTSD, urging further exploration of their therapeutic potential.

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INSIGHT

Subjective Trauma

Trauma is subjective and depends on individual experiences.
What one person finds traumatic, another might not, highlighting the importance of personal context.

INSIGHT

PTSD Impact

PTSD changes how you see the world, marked by intrusive memories and avoidance behaviors.
Not everyone exposed to trauma develops PTSD, but trauma affects everyone's worldview.

ANECDOTE

Trauma and Success

Dave Asprey shares an anecdote about a successful executive whose drive stemmed from childhood bullying.
This illustrates how trauma can fuel success but may not lead to happiness.

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In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, I dive into an intriguing discussion about trauma with my guest, Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D. We touch on what her latest research is uncovering about the role epigenetics plays in trauma and how to identify signs of trauma in your own life.

“Trauma affects everybody,” Rachel says. “Having a traumatic event will definitely change you in some way in terms of how you view the world.”

RRachel is a professor and vice-chair of Psychiatry and professor of Neuroscience at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York. Her work focuses on the fields of psychology, trauma, and epigenetic research. She has authored more than 300 high-cited journal articles and book chapters and developed fascinating insights about risk and resilience. Her research on cortisol and brain function has revolutionized the understanding and treatment of PTSD worldwide.

With her in-depth knowledge of PTSD and epigenetics, Rachel walks us through how our parents' traumas can be passed down through the generations and how those triggers that you're working on today may not have originated in your lifetime.

"It's not just that you carry the genes of your parents,” Rachel says. “You carry their history. You carry a lot of the sum total of their experiences."

We also discuss:

The often misunderstood role that cortisol plays in the stress response and how this "stress-hormone" may be better identified as an anti-stress hormone.
How previously banned drugs like MDMA, DMT, and psilocybin may hold therapeutic potential for people working through traumas, and the road ahead for research into these drugs.
The importance of finding the right practitioner to work with you on traumas that you may experience or have emerge in your life.

Enjoy! And get more resources at https://blog.daveasprey.com/category/podcasts/

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