Psychogenealogy: Generations branded by the past

"My great-grandfather suffered from depression, and I was born on the same day as him...so I'm bound to have the same disorder." "My cousin has trouble getting pregnant. During the war, our grandmother had to have an abortion in secret. Children in our family have always been a sore point."

These stories are increasingly present in our daily discussions, but also in the media. Their current increase indicates an almost visceral need to find the origin of our problems, to put forward explanations for what seems unjust or insurmountable. But how did these explanations begin to find their way into our tormented minds?

Focus on family history

With the advent of psychogenealogy, made popular in the 1970s by psychotherapist Anne Ancelin Schützenberger, author of the book ‘Aïe, mes aïeux!’, another approach to human trauma emerged. These are said to be passed on from generation to generation, completely unconsciously. Inspired by psychoanalysis, psychogenealogy is a therapeutic practice based on family history, which suggests that the experiences of our ancestors are closely linked to our internal wounds. By delving into our families' past and bringing to light the origins of our problems, we can free ourselves from them.

In psychogenealogy, the exploration begins with the construction of a family tree, also known as a genosociogram, which is detailed and complete and includes family secrets, conflicts between couples and traumas that may be associated with illness, accidents, etc. Nicolas Gaillard, co-founder of Cortecs, points out that "according to the 'anniversary syndrome', illnesses or accidents are likely to occur on the date commemorating a traumatic event in the past. The psychogenealogist therefore looks for coincidences of dates". The therapist's job is to identify repetitive family patterns, important dates, specific and significant periods of life, or professions and first names with a hidden meaning. For example: you became a policeman because your great-uncle used to deal drugs.

Once the cause of the trauma has been identified, a symbolic act of reparation is performed. As the Ça m'intéresse website points out, this could be a letter written to an ancestor and then torn up or burnt, a re-enactment of a scene or a visit to the grave of a grandmother.

There's a 'but

"This phenomenon has never been demonstrated and no one can say how it would happen. And the only scientific study purporting to support this trend proves nothing," explains Nicolas Gaillard. The specialist, who has taken the ‘birthday syndrome’ and applied the laws of statistics to it, has put his finger on an essential point: in a family tree, the probability of stumbling across coincidences is close to 100%. According to him, "this concept can be explained by chance". The expert also warns against the dangers of the practice. It could give false hope, induce biased memories and, even more seriously, encourage some people to stop essential treatment for a serious illness.

A major new argument: epigenetics

Psychogenealogists aren't giving up. For some years now, they have also been using epigenetics to understand and explain how trauma leaves a lasting mark on genes. Epigenetics is a science that highlights the various mechanisms responsible for regulating gene expression, i.e. protein synthesis, without modifying the DNA sequence. So it's not a question of mutations, but of biochemical marks added to genes or histones, or small RNAs (the molecules that carry genetic information) known as ‘non-coding’ RNAs, explains Ça m'intéresse. In addition, stress, the way we eat or pollution - in other words, everything that makes up an individual's environment - can infuse the body and bring about certain epigenetic changes. What if the wounds of the soul were transmitted from generation to generation? The matter is still being debated today.

A difficult legacy

Two studies carried out in the 2010s proved that children who had survived the Shoah were more likely to suffer from depression and anxiety. Researchers also discovered epigenetic marks similar to those of their parents in genes associated with stress. These children's psychological problems would therefore be linked to the epigenetic inheritance of their parents. Other scientists, however, suggest that these disorders are induced by social transmission. According to CNRS researcher Christophe de La Roche Saint-André, "A parent's stress can generate stress in their child, which will modify the epigenetics of the cells. It's not the biological marks that are passed on, but the psychological state at the origin of the marks."

At the time of writing, there's still too little research to identify what might be transmitted socially or biologically by epigenetics.

(MH with Raphaël Liset - Source : Ça m’intéresse - Illustration : ©Unsplash)