I have been being treated for PTSD and ADHD for many years. The recognition of my experience began when I was a patient of a Jungian therapist who specialized in trauma. When I came to Chicago I got involved with a program treating survivors of sexual trauma, but I always felt that it was my parents who traumatized me more than getting raped. It’s kind of like childhood abuse set me up for further abuse when I grew up.
My dad’s father abandoned him and his mother in 1918 (during the flu epidemic). My grandmother remarried three years later because she got pregnant out of wedlock. My dad’s stepfather did not treat him well. I don’t want to go into detail about it, but my dad was a heavy drinker and when he got drunk he’d tell stories about things his stepfather had said and done to him that my sister and I had trouble believing. He was lovely to us, a great grandfather. But as an adult, after he died I found evidence of how petty he was toward my father and me. It changed forever any happy memories I had of him from when I was younger. I used to call him my grandfather, now I call him my dad’s stepfather. I’m only pissed that I didn’t know what a jerk he was when he was alive so I could have told him so.
I tried when I had my own child not to pass along the negligent cruelty of my family, but I’m not sure a lot of the time that I succeeded. My son has had psychotherapy off and on for years. When he was a teenager he was more than my husband and I could manage, which is when we took him for psychotherapy the first time. He was violent and abusive. I hardly ever hear from him unless I force the issue. I’m tired of feeling like a nag so I leave him alone. I send him articles from Substack or other media and that’s about it. Sometimes he responds but more often he doesn’t. His father is dead so I’m his only living relative other than a couple of cousins. His wife has a large extended family and I think he prefers them to me. I’m one; they are many. It’s kind of no contest. I can’t compete with that.
Luckily I’m an artist and I have friends so my life isn’t a disaster. I just don’t have much of a family. At least not a family of blood relations. Plus I’m an introvert. I’m never lonely. Being around people exhausts me and makes me nervous. Hope this testimony contributes something to the work you do.
One more thing. I also have ADHD and people are surprised when I tell them. But it's the truth and I know where I got it from: my father and I don't know much about him but I suspect he suffered a lot of trauma.
Saralyn, thank you for your being open to sharing these painful events in your life. It helps me in my work, but guess what? It helps me on a very personal level. I too am comfortable being alone but I also know that it's not good for me. You are an artist, and you have friends. You are a successful person.
Thank you Allan. Your article is important for us to understand. In my counselling I have found this to be true. I wonder if you are aware of any studies that support the view that treatments like psilocybin, which appears to be valuable in treating PTSD, are effective with generational trauma?
Ian here is what I got from the National Library of Medicine: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating, chronic disorder and efficacy rates of current PTSD treatments are underwhelming. There is a critical need for innovative approaches. We provide an overview of trauma and PTSD and cite literature providing converging evidence of the therapeutic potential of psilocybin for PTSD. No study to date has investigated psilocybin or psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) as treatments for PTSD. An open-label study in traumatized AIDS survivors found that PAP reduced PTSD symptoms, attachment anxiety, and demoralization. Several PAP trials show preliminary efficacy in facilitating confronting traumatic memories, decreasing emotional avoidance, depression, anxiety, pessimism, and disconnection from others, and increasing acceptance, self-compassion, and forgiveness of abusers, all of which are relevant to PTSD recovery. There is also early evidence that other classic psychedelics may produce large reductions in PTSD symptoms in combat veterans. However, this body of literature is small, mechanisms are not yet well understood, and the risks of using psychedelic compounds for trauma-related disorders need further study. In sum, evidence supports further investigation of PAP as a radically new approach for treating PTSD.
Thank you Allan. I also will continue my research and share anything I think adds to this. I know that scientific studies and well structured medical testing of PAP and I think also MDMA, are happening here in Australia. Thanks for this. Cheers Allan.
Ian here is what I got from the National Library of Medicine: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating, chronic disorder and efficacy rates of current PTSD treatments are underwhelming. There is a critical need for innovative approaches. We provide an overview of trauma and PTSD and cite literature providing converging evidence of the therapeutic potential of psilocybin for PTSD. No study to date has investigated psilocybin or psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) as treatments for PTSD. An open-label study in traumatized AIDS survivors found that PAP reduced PTSD symptoms, attachment anxiety, and demoralization. Several PAP trials show preliminary efficacy in facilitating confronting traumatic memories, decreasing emotional avoidance, depression, anxiety, pessimism, and disconnection from others, and increasing acceptance, self-compassion, and forgiveness of abusers, all of which are relevant to PTSD recovery. There is also early evidence that other classic psychedelics may produce large reductions in PTSD symptoms in combat veterans. However, this body of literature is small, mechanisms are not yet well understood, and the risks of using psychedelic compounds for trauma-related disorders need further study. In sum, evidence supports further investigation of PAP as a radically new approach for treating PTSD.
As a retired counselor, I fully agree. The heinous events that occur in families and in individuals may appear hidden but are always prevalent in lifestyle and relationship choices. We simply do not have the tools or the reverence to address so many traumatic events even if all family members had the desire to do so. Such events as murder and suicide, kidnapping and rape are so painful that most families hide behind the truth hoping the event will never have to be discussed, thereby giving it the ultimate power for the ruination of family members while most counselors are not equipped to counsel such traumatic events effectively.
I have been being treated for PTSD and ADHD for many years. The recognition of my experience began when I was a patient of a Jungian therapist who specialized in trauma. When I came to Chicago I got involved with a program treating survivors of sexual trauma, but I always felt that it was my parents who traumatized me more than getting raped. It’s kind of like childhood abuse set me up for further abuse when I grew up.
My dad’s father abandoned him and his mother in 1918 (during the flu epidemic). My grandmother remarried three years later because she got pregnant out of wedlock. My dad’s stepfather did not treat him well. I don’t want to go into detail about it, but my dad was a heavy drinker and when he got drunk he’d tell stories about things his stepfather had said and done to him that my sister and I had trouble believing. He was lovely to us, a great grandfather. But as an adult, after he died I found evidence of how petty he was toward my father and me. It changed forever any happy memories I had of him from when I was younger. I used to call him my grandfather, now I call him my dad’s stepfather. I’m only pissed that I didn’t know what a jerk he was when he was alive so I could have told him so.
I tried when I had my own child not to pass along the negligent cruelty of my family, but I’m not sure a lot of the time that I succeeded. My son has had psychotherapy off and on for years. When he was a teenager he was more than my husband and I could manage, which is when we took him for psychotherapy the first time. He was violent and abusive. I hardly ever hear from him unless I force the issue. I’m tired of feeling like a nag so I leave him alone. I send him articles from Substack or other media and that’s about it. Sometimes he responds but more often he doesn’t. His father is dead so I’m his only living relative other than a couple of cousins. His wife has a large extended family and I think he prefers them to me. I’m one; they are many. It’s kind of no contest. I can’t compete with that.
Luckily I’m an artist and I have friends so my life isn’t a disaster. I just don’t have much of a family. At least not a family of blood relations. Plus I’m an introvert. I’m never lonely. Being around people exhausts me and makes me nervous. Hope this testimony contributes something to the work you do.
One more thing. I also have ADHD and people are surprised when I tell them. But it's the truth and I know where I got it from: my father and I don't know much about him but I suspect he suffered a lot of trauma.
Saralyn, thank you for your being open to sharing these painful events in your life. It helps me in my work, but guess what? It helps me on a very personal level. I too am comfortable being alone but I also know that it's not good for me. You are an artist, and you have friends. You are a successful person.
Thank you Allan. Your article is important for us to understand. In my counselling I have found this to be true. I wonder if you are aware of any studies that support the view that treatments like psilocybin, which appears to be valuable in treating PTSD, are effective with generational trauma?
Ian here is what I got from the National Library of Medicine: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating, chronic disorder and efficacy rates of current PTSD treatments are underwhelming. There is a critical need for innovative approaches. We provide an overview of trauma and PTSD and cite literature providing converging evidence of the therapeutic potential of psilocybin for PTSD. No study to date has investigated psilocybin or psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) as treatments for PTSD. An open-label study in traumatized AIDS survivors found that PAP reduced PTSD symptoms, attachment anxiety, and demoralization. Several PAP trials show preliminary efficacy in facilitating confronting traumatic memories, decreasing emotional avoidance, depression, anxiety, pessimism, and disconnection from others, and increasing acceptance, self-compassion, and forgiveness of abusers, all of which are relevant to PTSD recovery. There is also early evidence that other classic psychedelics may produce large reductions in PTSD symptoms in combat veterans. However, this body of literature is small, mechanisms are not yet well understood, and the risks of using psychedelic compounds for trauma-related disorders need further study. In sum, evidence supports further investigation of PAP as a radically new approach for treating PTSD.
Thank you Allan. I also will continue my research and share anything I think adds to this. I know that scientific studies and well structured medical testing of PAP and I think also MDMA, are happening here in Australia. Thanks for this. Cheers Allan.
And I will let you know
I will search
Ian here is what I got from the National Library of Medicine: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating, chronic disorder and efficacy rates of current PTSD treatments are underwhelming. There is a critical need for innovative approaches. We provide an overview of trauma and PTSD and cite literature providing converging evidence of the therapeutic potential of psilocybin for PTSD. No study to date has investigated psilocybin or psilocybin-assisted psychotherapy (PAP) as treatments for PTSD. An open-label study in traumatized AIDS survivors found that PAP reduced PTSD symptoms, attachment anxiety, and demoralization. Several PAP trials show preliminary efficacy in facilitating confronting traumatic memories, decreasing emotional avoidance, depression, anxiety, pessimism, and disconnection from others, and increasing acceptance, self-compassion, and forgiveness of abusers, all of which are relevant to PTSD recovery. There is also early evidence that other classic psychedelics may produce large reductions in PTSD symptoms in combat veterans. However, this body of literature is small, mechanisms are not yet well understood, and the risks of using psychedelic compounds for trauma-related disorders need further study. In sum, evidence supports further investigation of PAP as a radically new approach for treating PTSD.
As a retired counselor, I fully agree. The heinous events that occur in families and in individuals may appear hidden but are always prevalent in lifestyle and relationship choices. We simply do not have the tools or the reverence to address so many traumatic events even if all family members had the desire to do so. Such events as murder and suicide, kidnapping and rape are so painful that most families hide behind the truth hoping the event will never have to be discussed, thereby giving it the ultimate power for the ruination of family members while most counselors are not equipped to counsel such traumatic events effectively.
Karen I fully agree
This is very very interesting to me. Thanks so much.
Very interesting article
I wonder if I'm seeing it in my own family. Interesting.