Generational Curses

Hello, My Name Is Generational Curses

Generational curses are negative attributes or ways of coping, that are passed down from one generation to the next. For example, the specific ‘curse’ is passed down from great grandparents, grandparents, parents and eventually yourself.

A ‘curse’ could be violence, parenting styles, poor schooling, issues with trusting others etc. The list goes on. If you hear certain things enough, you will eventually start to believe in these ‘curses’ yourself, and think you’re next.

Eventually, you start to carry the guilt and anger of having fallen to the curse and the pain is all consuming. 

Generational curses don’t have to be feared. 

What we need to realise, is that the pain felt when falling to a generational curse is NOT an omen, or something to fear - it is the call to action we have been searching for. The ‘curse’ is merely a symptom of something deeper. While they bring us pain, it is the opportunity for something more; the ability to finally break free. Acknowledging these curses, and perhaps having felt the ‘curse’ allows for us to take the steps needed to make sure the cycle ends and does not continue. 

Acknowledging the curse

Before we start to break the cycle, we must first face and honor the lives and stories of our parents, grandparents, great grandparents and so on. While this process is painful, it is only by doing so we can break free from these ‘curses’. We have to take on a survivor mindset - we are here, we have come this far and we are here to acknowledge and learn of our past suffering so we can identify these destructive patterns and put a stop to them for good.

Breaking the curse

In order to break the curse, ask yourself these questions to map out the beginnings of your pain.

1) What is the earliest memory of this particular pain (related to the ‘curse’)?

2) How old were you?

3) What was the situation, which people were mostly around you?

4) What people in your family have experienced the ‘curse’? How did they cope?

5) How do you feel when you experience pain attached to the ‘curse’? Sadness, depression, anger etc. ? 

Also, Writing down or journaling your answers to these questions can help you map out a timeline with your earliest experiences so you can unpack your thoughts in a cohesive way, and think about behaviors and cycles you have witnessed yourself. You may notice patterns in the way you’ve handled adversity in your life. 

Let go of the past by…

having a session of reflection, you may need to repeat these steps more than once - healing isn’t one-and-done - its a long, sometimes painful process, but it is necessary for true healing and empowerment.

Once you’ve fully unpacked the pain and ‘curse’, you can begin to let go of that trauma and start building healthy adaptive behaviors by having…

1) Thoughts that empower you as a person, positive self-talk ( I am worthy, I am capable and I can make good choices, I am not ONLY my past etc.)

2) Engaging in behaviours that will enhance your life, not take away from it

Source: The Signal, Researcher: Devmi Epaarachchi