Intergenerational PTSD can be passed down to the next generation.

When I was a little girl a certain male tone would set me off in to an avalanche un controlling crying. I now understand it was due to triggers, and my amygdala was being high jacked.

Walker says, “I believe one of the key processes of recovering from complex PTSD is deconstructing the toxic superego/critic and reconstructing and replacing it with a healthy ego/executive function that is user friendly to the individual. As this is achieved, one’s narrative about one’s life becomes more complete, accurate, congruent, and capable of generating healthy self-compassion and self-protection.”

I love Dr. Figley, and many women in the military due to low estrogen are susceptible for PTSD. The impact of childhood trauma, and then to be re-victimized by sexual assault, and then to be deployed multiple times leaves the individual with complex PTSD. The outcome is many counselors may not have the back ground to uncover the root cause.

The symptomatology of complex PTSD includes a conception of emotional flashbacks—emotional and intrusive recollections of overwhelming feeling states of childhood: fear, shame, alienation, rage, grief, and/or depression. Walker (2009) calls these sudden and often prolonged emotional regressions to the frightening and abandoned feelings of childhood “amygdala hijackings.” The amygdala performs a primary role in the formation and storage of memories associated with emotional events, suggesting that prolonged fear may result in permanent changes in the brain, with lingering synapse hyperreactivity.

The tendency to overreact may be rooted in permanent fear conditioning, both emotionally and physiologically, with a number of resultant sympathetic nervous system responses (e.g., rapid heartbeat, respiration, cortisol production, immobility). The psychic imprinting of PTSD results in changed brain chemistry; the amygdala triggers the nervous system and panic, and prolonged panic may result in permanent panic.

“We found strong evidence that the ADRB2 gene SNP (defined as Single Nucleotide Polymorphism)was associated with PTSD in our group of male soldiers who were predominantly of European American ancestry,” said Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, chair of Epidemiology at the Mailman School of Public Health and senior author. “Of particular note is the finding that the identical interaction took place in the control group of civilians. Together these outcomes suggest that the ADRB2 gene interacts with childhood adversity and either result in a vulnerability or resilience to developing PTSD symptoms following adult trauma.”

MAJ Nelson:

Sir, respectfully many Soldiers when deployed have repressed memories the environmental stressors and multiple deployments cause flooding. This is the release or triggers of childhood trauma memories. PTSD is complex the article below is indicating that it can be linked by a genetic link. Intergenerational PTSD comes from Military parents unknowingly passing it down to the next generation.

Haven't been diagnosed with PTSD but I have been accused of it what I have been diagnosed with is Borderline Personality Disorder and they say it has roots in trauma. I wasn't physically abused in Any way I was psychologically and verbally abused, because the only on standing in my step dad's way was my mother. Now I don't think my mother ever got diagnosed but for a good portion of my childhood she did exhibit symptoms. I don't know if this helps at all.

PO3 Clark:
Many veterans get misdiagnosed with personality disorder when they have childhood PTSD.