Resources

The Legacy Burdens

The legacy burdens is the concept used in Internal Family Systems theory, referring to “Inherited burdens, psychological burdens, or traumas passed down through past experiences and across generations”. We may call this interchangeably, intergenerational trauma, or transgenerational trauma. I was always interested in people’s stories and their subconsciously inherited ways of living (due to legacy burdens), which inevitably becomes a part of ourselves and often interferes with our authentic sense of self.

The legacy burdens can also be seen among ethnic groups that repeatedly engage in wars and conflicts. In many cases, people are not even aware of this intergenerational trauma and simply comply with it (e.g., accepting and acting out their miserable circumstances, enduring the same treatment their predecessors received) or, conversely, engage in overcompensation (e.g., retaliating for the treatment their predecessors received, or inflicting the same treatment on those weaker than themselves. This includes acts of retribution, revenge, and cyclical abuse). Of course, it is important to assert human rights, and there are situations where these rights can only be obtained through struggle. However, repeating conflicts (overcompensation) often fails to achieve our rights or what we seek, and it results in passing down the legacy burdens to others, including our own children. In such cases, instead of repeating history, we need to consider alternative approaches. And I personally believe that the legacy burdens observed in my clients, as well as in societal divisions and conflicts, may never disappear from the world unless individuals become aware of them on a personal level and work to release them themselves. I am hoping that at least my clients are able to release the effects of their legacy burdens and live as an authentic self.

Self

The concept of "self" has been discussed from various perspectives, including philosophy, psychology, and sociology, resulting in numerous definitions. In psychology, the "self" is often studied and discussed using keywords such as "self," "self-awareness," "self-concept," "self-appraisal," "self-control," and "identity." Psychologically, the self often refers to an individual's ability to recognise and understand themselves, known as self-awareness. Therefore, self-awareness, self-appraisal, and self-regulation are important themes in psychological research and theory.

In my undergraduate thesis, I focused on the self-awareness of individuals with traumatic brain injuries, and in my doctoral dissertations, I focused on self-appraisal and autobiographical memory in individuals who experienced complex childhood trauma.

Trauma (Simple / Complex)

Psychological trauma refers to events that cause intense psychological stress, which individuals do not typically experience in everyday life. Examples of trauma include life-threatening events such as war, natural disasters, traffic accidents, and experiences that damage one's personal dignity through the actions of others, such as rape, abuse, and bullying.

Trauma can be broadly divided into two categories: simple and complex trauma. Simple trauma refers to single-incident traumas (such as a traffic accident), while complex trauma refers to traumas that occur repeatedly in interpersonal relationships (such as abuse and neglect). It is known that the impact of complex trauma is more extensive and ongoing than that of single-incident trauma. While this is not to underestimate the impact of single-incident trauma, it is also recognised that experiencing multiple single-incident traumas (such as experiencing a natural disaster after a traffic accident and losing family members) can have significant effects. However, my interest has always been in "complex childhood trauma" because it influences self-formation, rather than single-incident traumas that involve fear of death (such as traffic accidents). Complex childhood trauma has been my interest, as it is also related to the legacy burdens. There are various types of complex childhood trauma, including physical abuse (e.g., violence, assault, corporal punishment), physical neglect (e.g., lack of adequate meals, clean living conditions, or clothing), emotional abuse (e.g., humiliation, intimidation, coercion, deliberate ignoring), emotional neglect (e.g., lack of affection or attention), sexual abuse (e.g., forcing or exposing sexual acts), and domestic violence. The effects of complex childhood trauma have been researched intensively and one of the well known measurements used is called ACEs (Adverse Childhood Experiences) https://www.acesaware.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ACE-Questionnaire-for-Adults-Identified-English-rev.7.26.22.pdf.

Psychotherapy for clients with a history of complex trauma

How much do you know about psychotherapy? Have you ever undergone therapy yourself?

For therapy with clients who have experienced complex trauma, a three-phased approach is generally recommended. Even if the cause of the mental disorder comes from the present (stress), the past (trauma, depression), or the future (anxiety disorder), stabilising the current situation is the initial goal of trauma therapy. Especially in the case of complex trauma therapy, reprocessing past trauma memories before the current situation is stabilised can increase suicidal ideation or worsen depression, so it is necessary to proceed in stages. In my therapy, I aim to first examine and stabilise the client's current life together, then process past memories to create a better future. As you can imagine, this process is long-term.

Mindfulness - a tool to cultivate self-awareness

Have you ever heard of the word mindfulness? Mindfulness has become widely used, not only as a part of psychotherapy, but also to improve business and athletic performance. I would like to briefly explain mindfulness here.

What Mindfulness Is

Mindfulness is based on Buddhist ideas and was proposed by Jon Kabat-Zinn in 1979. Mindfulness is an English term that refers to the psychological process of intentionally paying attention to the internal and external experiences in the "here and now". When I explain this to my clients, I emphasize that the process of mindfulness requires three attitudes, rather than just being aware of something: Curiosity; open-mindedness; then a non-judgmental attitude. For example, when you eat mindfully, even if it's something you're used to eating or something you don't like, first look at it curiously, open-mindedly, and non-judgmentally, as if you were eating something for the first time. You may be looking at it, smelling it, holding it in your hands, and tasting it. Imagine the moment a baby eats something for the first time.

Why Mindfulness?

Mindfulness is known to be highly effective to manage rumination, which is one of the contributors of depression and insomnia. It is said that mental illness occurs because our consciousness goes too far into the past (what you should/could have done) or the future (what if this happens), and mindfulness is a way to intentionally change such awareness. By focusing on the ‘here and now’, our suffering will be reduced. In other words, the state of ruminating on the past or worrying about the future is a state of being mindless, or your mind not being here. In addition, it is important to cultivate self-awareness via mindfulness, which allows us to keep a healthy distance from our internal and external experience, therefore, reducing unhealthy reactions.

Science-based Mindfulness

Additionally, mental illness is associated with under-activation of the prefrontal lobe. Indeed, the prefrontal lobe plays a role in regulating emotions, and it has been scientifically supported that mindfulness practice can activate the prefrontal lobe. In psychology, we only use science-based approaches, and mindfulness in Psychology is more of a scientifically supported skill than a spiritual ritual that comes from Buddhism.

Type of Mindfulness

There are also different types of mindfulness, and they can be broadly divided into mindfulness, which focuses on the external environment, and mindfulness, which focuses on internal experiences. The first type of mindfulness is like (1) paying attention to the external world through one's five senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch). To focus on your internal experiences, you can use mindfulness, which involves focusing on (2) physical symptoms such as breathing, (3) your thoughts, and (4) your emotions.  

Different Ways to Practice Mindfulness

There are two ways to practice mindfulness: Focused Awareness, where you focus on one thing, for example, just your breathing; and Open Awareness, where you focus on everything that is happening. For example, this may be being aware of one's own breathing but also other physical symptoms, thoughts, and emotions at the same time. Being mindful of one of your five senses or physical symptoms using Focused Awareness is a relatively simple form of mindfulness, so it may be easy for beginners to do.

There are many APPs and resources available online that teach Mindfulness. So, if you make mindfulness as part of your daily routine, it would help you develop self-awareness and improve your mental health.