Attachment, Trauma & the Impact on Future Generations

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Trauma transmits biologically and behaviourally – research shows childhood trauma can alter DNA through epigenetic changes, affecting not just the victim but also their offspring and future generations
• Three generations minimum should be investigated – cellular biology, neuroscience, and epigenetics reveal that at least three generations of family psychology influence current patterns
• Attachment styles pass through families – how one generation was parented affects the attachment style they pass to their children, creating intergenerational cycles of secure or insecure attachment
• Unresolved trauma limits future generations – emotional anguish that isn’t integrated into ancestors’ life stories sends ‘shock waves of distress cascading from one generation to the next’
• Earned secure attachment is possible – research proves attachment styles aren’t fixed; through therapy, secure relationships, or mindfulness, individuals can break intergenerational cycles
• Understanding creates healing pathways – awareness of how ancestral trauma affects you is the first step toward breaking negative patterns and building resilience for future generations

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In a previous article, we looked at some of the key experiences our ancestors might have lived through, shaping them as individuals and forming the basis of what they would pass on down the generations. This time, we’ll explore attachment, trauma and the impact on future generations—examining how key experiences found their way down the family tree and how they might continue to affect you and your family.

How Does Trauma Impact Future Generations?

We have known for some time that suppressing negative thoughts or emotions over an extended period compromises our immune system and leads to poor physical health (Petrie, Booth & Pennebaker, 1998). But when we examine the challenges experienced by our ancestors, it may not just be they who are affected.

Recent research indicates that psychological trauma such as childhood abuse might impact the long-term physical health of not only the immediate victim, but also their offspring, by etching itself onto the victim’s DNA through epigenetic modifications (Roberts et al., 2018).

The Science of Inherited Trauma

Developments in cellular biology, neuroscience, epigenetics and developmental psychology inform us that at least three generations of family psychology should be investigated if we are to unpick our psychological inheritance.

Scientists have discovered that the DNA responsible for transmitting physical traits makes up less than 2% of our total DNA. The other 98% is believed to be responsible for many of the emotional, behavioural and personality traits we inherit (Vendramini, 2005). This 98% is also affected by:

• Environmental toxins (consider the widespread historical use of lead paint, mercury in hat-making, industrial pollutants)
• Inadequate nutrition (famine, poverty, malnutrition during pregnancy)
• Emotional trauma (abuse, loss, chronic stress, violence)

According to research by neuroscientist Rachel Yehuda, several stress-related psychiatric conditions including post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic pain disorder and chronic fatigue syndrome are associated with low blood cortisol, which can be inherited from traumatised parents (Yehuda & Seckl, 2011).

Yehuda’s groundbreaking research also demonstrates the link between a parent suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder and a descendant’s risk of developing PTSD, depression or anxiety-related disorders. Indeed, Yehuda was one of the first researchers to show how descendants of trauma survivors can experience the physical and emotional symptoms of trauma they have not directly experienced—a phenomenon observed in children of Holocaust survivors (Glausiusz, 2014).

While research has suggested a genetic link to anxiety and depression, more investigation is needed (Nestler, 2014; Gottschalk & Domschke, 2017; Davies et al., 2015). King’s College London are currently calling for 40,000 people who have experienced anxiety and/or depression to take part in the ‘Genetic Links to Anxiety and Depression’ (GLAD) Study.

Beyond Genetics: Cultural Transmission

While the proven effects of epigenetic inheritance and our ability to detect this phenomenon are in early stages in humans, transgenerational transmission of culture by communication, imitation, teaching and learning has been with us for millennia (Horsthemke, 2018).

It is believed that emotional anguish—for example, caused by someone close to us taking their own life, or the experience of abuse or bereavement—that has not been integrated into our ancestors’ life story sends ‘shock waves of distress cascading from one generation to the next’ (Wolynn, 2017).

Often the spontaneous reaction to overwhelming anguish, suffering and emotional pain is to deny it, keep silent and submerge it with alcohol, food or drugs. I believe this is what my grandfather Walter’s mother, Ann, did, leading to a life of misery and torment for herself and reverberations through subsequent generations.

For many, what is denied festers. We can unconsciously replay what once overwhelmed us until we find a way to deal with it and move forward. As psychiatrist Naasson Munyandamutsa has said: ‘All that is not said, is transmitted.’

If we are unable to model a way to articulate and integrate what happens to us, we limit the success of future generations. Fortunately, the reverse is also true: healing past hurts builds a valuable legacy of strength and resilience for those who come after us.

Other Ways Our Ancestors Affect Us

It is not necessarily how difficult someone’s life has been that impacts us and our descendants. What’s crucial is how we make sense of that childhood so that we can weave a new story about ourselves, rather than be imprisoned by old thinking and beliefs from the past.

Unresolved Trauma’s Ripple Effect

The experience of unresolved abuse, neglect or trauma in one’s early life can leave a lasting residue that blights future generations. Unresolved issues risk creating parents prone to being flooded by emotions in times of stress, thereby becoming emotionally unavailable to their children.

This inability to be present and attuned with offspring can pass from generation to generation because parents who struggle with unresolved trauma often have trouble tolerating a range of emotions in their child. They may react to their children with fear or anger that surfaces quickly in moments of stress. The parent may act out destructive behaviour whilst not being fully aware of how their reactive responses impact their vulnerable children or those around them.

Biological Transmission of Maternal Emotions

This is not only learnt behaviour. Bruce Lipton’s research proves what has been whispered for generations: that a mother’s fear, anger and love can biochemically alter the genetic expression of her offspring (Lipton, 1995).

When you’re researching your family story, be alert to life-changing events for pregnant ancestors.

Case example from my family:

When my grandfather Walter’s mother Ann was pregnant with his elder sister Ethel, Ann’s firstborn Lily Ann died slowly, aged only eighteen months old. The overwhelming grief that Ann may not have been able to process at the time may well have been passed down that branch of the family in the form of depression.

Depression is now the leading cause of disability worldwide (World Health Organization, 2018). I can’t help wondering if what Ann’s granddaughter Mary described as her own ‘mental breakdown’ was related to her mother’s psychological inheritance. Tragically, Mary’s only child took his own life aged just 34 years old, in 1987.

This pattern—unresolved grief from Lily Ann’s death (1880s) → depression in subsequent generations → suicide a century later—illustrates how trauma’s effects can cascade across generations when left unhealed.

What Is Attachment Theory?

As discussed in ‘The Emotional DNA We Inherit’, and in my book Who Do I Think You Were? A Victorian’s Inheritance, ttachment patterns form a blueprint so I turn towards various psychological theories in an effort to shed light on my grandfather Walter’s emotional inheritance. One of these is the concept of attachment, particularly the joint work of psychologist, psychiatrist and psychoanalyst John Bowlby and psychologist Mary Ainsworth.

Defining Attachment

Attachment is a deep, enduring emotional bond that connects one person to another across space and time. The more able someone is to resolve trauma and conflict in their lives, the better able they will be to form a secure attachment with their child.

Attachment theory, first developed by John Bowlby in the 1950s and expanded by Mary Ainsworth in the 1970s, explains infant behaviour towards their attachment figure during times of separation and reunion. This is important because it builds a stable blueprint that shapes the relationships we have as adults.

When adults are attached to someone, they can verbalise their feelings when they are apart. To glean the emotional state of young children, we must rely on painstaking research that has taken place all over the world over many decades.

The Strange Situation: Measuring Attachment

Mary Ainsworth devised a technique to assess infant attachment to a caregiver called The Strange Situation. Whilst it has been shown to be indicative of attachment style, historically it only studied the type of attachment to the primary caretaker at that moment in time—originally only the mother.

However, a normally developing child is driven to attach to any caregiver who provides regular physical and/or emotional care, regardless of the quality of that care. Perhaps the old Nigerian proverb ‘It takes a village to raise a [healthy] child’ is an acknowledgement that children need to be attached to a wider circle of adults.

Biological Transmission of Attachment

It is sobering to consider that attachment may also be transmitted biologically across generations. Research by Shah, Fonagy and Strathearn (2010) has shown that ‘a mother’s attachment experiences from her own childhood may shape neural circuits which influence how she perceives and responds to her infant’s cues one generation later’.

Human psychology is complex and our understanding of it changes over time. Currently, a child’s attachment type is seen as a result of a combination of factors—both the child’s innate temperament and their caregiver’s sensitivity towards their needs.

Adolescence is the time when teens should be actively transitioning from parents to peers as primary attachments. However, their success in doing this can be influenced by their already established attachment style.

The Four Attachment Styles

Through the attentive observations of researchers, three core styles of attachment have been identified. A fourth is a phenomenon that has been found to co-exist with the other three (before the child reverts to a more recognisable anxious or avoidant attachment style).

1. Secure Attachment Style

Characteristics: People have autonomy and can act independently. They trust others, regulate emotions effectively, and form healthy relationships throughout life.

In adults:

• Comfortable with intimacy and independence
• Trust others and expect to be treated well
• Express emotions openly and appropriately
• Form long-lasting, satisfying relationships
• Seek support during stress
• Provide consistent, emotionally attuned parenting

Childhood origin: Consistent, sensitive, responsive caregiving. Child’s needs are met predictably, creating sense of safety and trust.

2. Anxious Attachment Style (Insecure Attachment)

Characteristics: Emotional overreliance and preoccupation with others. Fear of abandonment, need constant reassurance.

In adults:

• Worry excessively about relationships
• Require frequent reassurance of love
• Fear abandonment or rejection
• May appear ‘clingy’ or emotionally demanding
• Struggle with emotional regulation (intense emotions)
• May be inconsistent parents (sometimes overprotective, sometimes emotionally overwhelmed)

Childhood origin: Inconsistent caregiving—sometimes responsive, sometimes not. Child never knows if needs will be met, creating anxiety.

3. Avoidant Attachment Style (Insecure Attachment)

Characteristics: Dismissive and fearful of others; emotional self-reliance. Suppress feelings, struggle with intimacy.

In adults:

• Uncomfortable with emotional closeness
• Value independence and self-reliance excessively
• Suppress or dismiss emotions
• May appear emotionally distant or ‘cold’
• Struggle to seek support during stress
• May be emotionally unavailable parents (provide physical care but little emotional attunement)

Childhood origin: Caregivers consistently dismiss emotional needs. Child learns emotions are unwelcome, develops self-reliance as survival strategy.

4. Disorganised Attachment Style (Insecure Attachment)

Characteristics: Ambivalent/unresolved, resulting in serious functional impairment across work, social and romantic functioning, identity, and the ability to understand mental states of oneself or others.

In adults:

• Unpredictable behaviour, mood swings
• Fear intimacy yet desperately seek it
• May be frightening to others (explosive anger, controlling behaviour)
• Struggle with emotional regulation
• Often have unresolved trauma
• May display frightening or abusive parenting behaviour

Childhood origin: Caregiver is source of both comfort and fear (often due to abuse, severe neglect, or caregiver’s own unresolved trauma). Child has no coherent strategy for seeking safety.

Note: Research shows that attachment in people with autism appears similar to that documented for typically developing children.

Attachment Styles in Adults: Summary Table

 

Attachment Patterns in Family History Research

Without an ongoing concerted effort, for good or ill, we seek partners, friends and colleagues and react to new people and situations through the bias of our early attachment experiences.

Walter Parker: A Case Study in Avoidant Attachment

When I consider my grandfather Walter—his mother’s alcohol addiction, and his behaviour as described by people who knew him—I wonder if his attachment style was that of avoiding intimacy.

As Connors explains, for some children ‘the renunciation of love is preferable to the pain and danger of relationship; instead, they seek control and mastery over the environment’. Consequently, such individuals tend to invest in work rather than in relationships.

When I first studied attachment theory, I discovered Bartholomew’s view that one way to tolerate the distress of rejection by attachment figures is to develop a projection of self as fully adequate and therefore invulnerable to negative feelings. Such ideas could illuminate Walter’s choice of homesteading on the Canadian prairie, rather than remaining in England. Indeed, it might have even been the ideal environment for someone who felt more comfortable in isolation.

Historical evidence suggesting avoidant attachment in Walter:

• Emigrated alone to Canada, creating geographic distance from family
• Homesteaded in isolated prairie location
• Described by family as emotionally distant, rarely expressing affection
• Invested heavily in work, land development (seeking mastery over environment)
• Struggled to form close emotional bonds with children
• Mother’s alcoholism created unpredictable, emotionally unavailable caregiving in his childhood

This pattern illustrates how childhood attachment disruptions (Ann’s alcoholism and emotional unavailability) shaped Walter’s adult relationships and likely influenced how he parented the next generation.

Attachment and Migration

The work done by researchers examining attachment style and migrants is particularly fascinating for family historians tracing ancestors who emigrated.

Personality Traits of Migrants

Research by Tabor et al. discovered that personality traits influence international voluntary migration. The study found that migrants have:

• Lower aggression and stress reaction
• Less likely to cling to traditional beliefs or practices
• Strong persistence, patience, fortitude and perseverance
• Greater likelihood of being more open to experience

As all behavioural traits are considered heritable, and the effect of family environment is now considered smaller than the effect of genes, it seems probable that a powerful, positive legacy of resilience and openness would be passed down to the descendants of migrants.

Mental Health Challenges in Migrant Populations

However, it will come as no surprise that mental health disorders are higher in immigrant and refugee populations, including depression, suicidal thoughts, stress and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Loss of cultural identity can result in higher incidence of mental disorders like schizophrenia in some migrant groups. According to research, those who have migrated before the age of 11 or who were born in Britain are much more likely to receive a diagnosis of an anxiety disorder:

• 2.5 times higher for Caribbean and Indian groups
• 1.5 times higher for Bangladeshi and Pakistani samples

Disturbingly, those who are fluent in English are especially more likely to be diagnosed with an anxiety disorder—suggesting that cultural assimilation brings its own psychological costs.

As we have seen throughout this article, such disorders then easily pass down the generations through both biological and behavioural mechanisms.

Research application for family historians:

If you’re researching emigrant ancestors, consider:

• What attachment disruptions did migration create? (separation from extended family, loss of community support)
• What resilience traits might they have passed forward? (persistence, openness, adaptability)
• What mental health challenges might have emerged? (cultural loss, discrimination, isolation)
• How did migration trauma affect subsequent generations?

Can We Change Our Childhood Attachment Style?

Yes. Although research is still developing, evidence shows that secure attachment can not only be acquired, but individuals can and do rise above their psychological inheritance and break the intergenerational cycle.

Earned Secure Attachment

This phenomenon is known as earned secure attachment, and those who achieve it can parent as effectively as those who have always been securely attached to their caregivers.

According to longitudinal studies, individuals with earned secure attachment:

• Successfully develop secure attachment patterns despite insecure childhoods
• Provide consistent, emotionally attuned caregiving to their children
• Break intergenerational cycles of insecure attachment

However, although earned-secure mothers were rated as highly capable caregivers, they self-report both high levels of depression in themselves and, later, in their children. This is thought to be a consequence of their early history, though longitudinal research is needed to validate this finding fully.

How Might Earned Secure Attachment Be Achieved?

Eminent psychologist Mary Main has stressed that attachment styles are not fixed and unalterable. According to her research, the primary characteristics of earned secure attachment are:

• Awareness of one’s attachment patterns and their origins
• Reflective capacity – the ability to think about and analyse one’s own learning or thinking processes (metacognition)

Pathways to earned secure attachment:

1. Therapy providing secure attachment Secure attachment in therapy allows you to feel safe analysing childhood events, thoughts and reactions, and helps you reconsider conclusions from the past and in the present. Attachment-based therapies, trauma therapy, and psychodynamic approaches can all facilitate this healing.

2. Secure relationships We can also change our attachment status if we make sense of our lives through our relationship with a partner, teacher, coach, mentor or friend who is securely attached. These relationships provide ‘corrective emotional experiences’—showing us that secure connection is possible and safe.

3. Mindfulness practice By approaching ourselves whole-heartedly with curiosity and compassion, mindfulness practice has been shown to heal insecure attachment by providing an internalised secure base. Regular mindfulness meditation helps develop the reflective capacity and emotional regulation that characterise secure attachment.

Source: Research on earned secure attachment and pathways to healing draws from Main & Goldwyn (1984), Siegel (2012), and extensive clinical evidence demonstrating attachment change is possible.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How many generations does trauma affect?

Research indicates that trauma effects can be observed for at least three generations through both epigenetic mechanisms and learned behavioural patterns.

Studies of Holocaust survivors show epigenetic changes in grandchildren who never experienced the Holocaust directly (Yehuda et al., 2016). However, the effects may extend further—some researchers suggest trauma impacts can persist for four to five generations, though effects typically diminish over time if healing occurs.

The good news: Each generation that does healing work reduces the trauma load passed to the next generation. You don’t need to completely heal all ancestral trauma—reducing it significantly means your children inherit less than you did.

What is the difference between attachment trauma and other types of trauma?

Attachment trauma specifically refers to disruptions in early caregiver-child bonds that create insecure attachment patterns. This includes:

• Inconsistent, neglectful, or abusive caregiving
• Separation from primary caregivers (death, institutionalisation, abandonment). An example can be found in the early life of Harry Drabble.
• Caregiver’s emotional unavailability due to mental illness, addiction, or their own unresolved trauma

Other trauma types include:

• Single-event trauma (accidents, natural disasters, assault)
• Chronic trauma (ongoing abuse, poverty, war)
• Complex trauma (multiple traumatic events, often interpersonal)

Key difference: Attachment trauma specifically damages the foundational blueprint for all future relationships, affecting how we connect, trust, regulate emotions, and parent our own children. Other traumas may not necessarily disrupt attachment patterns, though they often do if they occur in childhood or involve caregivers.

If my ancestor had insecure attachment, am I doomed to repeat it?

No. While attachment patterns show approximately 70-80% intergenerational transmission, this means 20-30% of people break the cycle without intervention—and many more can break it with awareness and healing work.

You’re not doomed because:

• Attachment is learned, not genetic—it can be re-learned
• ‘Earned secure attachment’ is achievable through therapy, secure relationships, or mindfulness
• Awareness of family patterns is itself protective (you can make conscious choices rather than unconscious repetition)
• One secure attachment relationship can change your entire trajectory
• Healing work you do reduces what your children inherit

The fact you’re reading this article and researching family patterns suggests you’re already breaking cycles through awareness.

How can I identify attachment patterns in ancestors when records are limited?

Look for indirect evidence in historical records and family stories:

Suggesting secure attachment:

• Long, stable marriages
• Close family bonds documented in letters or memoirs
• Community involvement, trusted by others
• Children speak warmly of parent in correspondence
• Successful navigation of hardships with family intact

Suggesting anxious attachment:

• Multiple marriages or relationship breakdowns
• Descriptions of being ‘overly protective’, ‘possessive’, or ‘clingy’
• Family conflicts, estrangements followed by reconciliations
• Excessive worry documented in letters

Suggesting avoidant attachment:

• Described as emotionally distant, ‘never showed emotion’
• Geographic distance from family (emigration, frequent moves)
• Heavy investment in work rather than relationships
• Children describe feeling unloved despite material provision
• Isolation, limited social connections

Suggesting disorganised attachment:

• Evidence of abuse or domestic violence
• Mental illness institutionalisations
• Unpredictable behaviour described by family
• Addiction combined with violence or instability
• Own history of severe childhood trauma

Also note attachment disruptions in childhood:

• Parental death when ancestor was young
• Institutionalisation (orphanages, workhouses)
• Evidence of abuse, neglect, or household dysfunction
• Mother’s mental illness or severe post-partum depression

These clues help build a picture of likely attachment patterns even when explicit psychological records don’t exist.

What should I do if researching family trauma triggers my own mental health issues?

This is common and important to address:

Immediate steps:

• Pause research if you’re feeling overwhelmed, triggered, or emotionally flooded
• Practice self-care: grounding techniques, physical activity, connection with supportive people
• Limit research sessions: Work in short bursts (30-60 minutes) with breaks, rather than marathon sessions
• Process discoveries: Journal about what you’re learning and feeling

Ongoing support:

• Work with a trauma-informed therapist as you research family trauma—they can help you process discoveries safely
• Join support groups: Other family historians researching trauma understand the emotional impact
• Set boundaries: You don’t need to research everything; focus on what serves your healing
• Balance trauma research with resilience research: Also look for family strengths, pattern-breakers, sources of joy

Warning signs to seek professional help:

• Intrusive thoughts or flashbacks
• Sleep disturbances or nightmares
• Avoiding important activities
• Feeling emotionally numb or disconnected
• Increased anxiety, depression, or substance use
• Relationship difficulties emerging

Remember: Understanding family trauma can be healing, but it’s also emotionally demanding work. There’s no shame in seeking support or taking breaks.

Can I change my attachment style without therapy?

Yes, though therapy significantly accelerates the process. Research shows multiple pathways to earned secure attachment:

Without therapy, you can:

1. Develop secure relationships

• Choose partners, friends, mentors who demonstrate secure attachment
• Practice vulnerability in safe relationships
• Allow yourself to be influenced by securely attached people
• Seek relationships where emotional expression is welcomed

2. Practice mindfulness

• Regular meditation develops reflective capacity
• Self-compassion practices heal attachment wounds
• Body-awareness helps regulate emotions
• Mindfulness creates an ‘internalised secure base’

3. Self-education

• Read about attachment theory (Attached by Amir Levine, Hold Me Tight by Sue Johnson)
• Learn to identify your patterns and triggers
• Study secure attachment behaviours to model
• Journal about childhood experiences and current patterns

4. Conscious parenting

• Break cycles with your own children through intentional, emotionally attuned parenting
• Repair ruptures (apologise when you react from wounds rather than presence)
• Seek parenting education focused on attachment

However, therapy offers:

• Guided processing of childhood trauma
• Safe relationship to practice secure attachment
• Professional insight into blind spots
• Faster, more complete healing

If finances are a barrier, look for sliding-scale therapists, training clinics, online therapy platforms, or support groups focused on attachment healing.

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Closing Thoughts

Understanding how to unlock your ancestors’ psychology can transforms family history. I hope this article has given you another perspective regarding the ways your ancestors’ experiences might have shaped them and future generations, and how the emotional and behavioural patterns in their lives might have found their way into your own life—but also, how to break negative cycles once and for all.

Understanding attachment theory and the biological transmission of trauma transforms family history from collecting facts into understanding the invisible forces that shaped your family across generations. When you recognise that your anxiety, relationship struggles, or parenting challenges have roots in ancestral attachment wounds, you gain both compassion for yourself and power to change.

Your ancestors did the best they could with the resources, knowledge, and healing available to them. Many carried wounds they couldn’t name or heal. But you have access to understanding they lacked—and that understanding is the first step toward breaking cycles that may have persisted for generations.

You are not doomed to repeat the past. Attachment patterns can change. Trauma’s effects can be healed. The cycle can end with you.

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Additional Resources

To Explore Your Own Attachment Style:

The Attachment Theory Test – Various validated questionnaires and scales

Neurobiology of Secure Attachment – Video including the attachment process by Allan Schore (begins at 3:08)

Further Reading:

Explore more artciles here

Citations

Yehuda, R., & Seckl, J. (2011). Minireview: Stress-Related Psychiatric Disorders with Low Cortisol Levels: A Metabolic Hypothesis. Endocrinology, 152(12), 4496-4503.

Yehuda, R., Daskalakis, N. P., Bierer, L. M., Bader, H. N., Klengel, T., Holsboer, F., & Binder, E. B. (2016). Holocaust Exposure Induced Intergenerational Effects on FKBP5 Methylation. Biological Psychiatry, 80(5), 372-380.

Shah, P. E., Fonagy, P., & Strathearn, L. (2010). Is Attachment Transmitted Across Generations? The Plot Thickens. Clinical Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 15(3), 329-345.

Roberts, A. L., Gladish, N., Gatev, E., Jones, M. J., Chen, Y., MacIsaac, J. L., … & Kobor, M. S. (2018). Exposure to Childhood Abuse is Associated with Human Sperm DNA Methylation. Translational Psychiatry, 8(1), 194.

Petrie, K. J., Booth, R. J., & Pennebaker, J. W. (1998). The Immunological Effects of Thought Suppression. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 75(5), 1264-1272.

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About A Victorian’s Inheritance

A window into Victorian lives—and what it means for ours

What psychological  inheritance have you received from your ancestors?

We inherit more than heirlooms. The struggles, triumphs, and even traumas of our forebears can be handed down through generations, shaping who we are.

In A Victorian’s Inheritance, family historian and former counsellor Helen Parker-Drabble brings to life the working-class world of her Victorian grandfather, uncovering how his mother’s hardships, bereavements and alcoholism in 19th-century England left their indelible mark on him. Through a unique blend of family history, social analysis, and a groundbreaking approach, she reveals how addiction, grief, and mental health challenges can influence future generations.

This deeply personal yet relatable book invites you to reflect on your own family’s untold stories. Whether you’re an avid genealogist, a lover of Victorian history, or simply curious about how your ancestors’ lives have shaped your own, A Victorian’s Inheritance will inspire you to discover the hidden legacies of your family—and better understand yourself and your relations.

Two chapters of A Victorian’s Inheritance can be found here.

Who Do I Think You Were? A Victorian’s Inheritance by Helen Parker-Drabble is an accessible exploration of the life, times and psychological inheritance of Walter Parker, a Victorian working-class youth growing up at the Tank Yard in the English village of Thorney, on the 11th Duke of Bedford’s forgotten estate.

This is not the story of just one man, but of an era. The information and theories introduced in this book can help connect us to our ancestors. They can inspire us to be more mindful of the psychological legacy we leave behind.

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About the Author

Helen Parker-Drabble is an author and ‘geneatherapist’ who combines genealogical research with psychological insights to understand how historical events shaped family patterns across generations.

A former counsellor with a Diploma in Counselling, Helen developed the geneatherapy methodology—an integrative approach that applies psychological theory, including attachment theory and trauma research, to family history. According to the online Cambridge dictionary, one of the definitions of therapy is it is a ‘treatment that helps someone feel better or grow stronger’. So as a geneatherapist, Helen explores mental health, mental illness, and psychology through different eras, in the hope that by exploring what impacted our ancestors, we help the present generation.

Helen is a life-long explorer of social history and weaver of factual family tales. Fascinated by psychological theory and the stories we develop to make sense of ourselves and our family, Helen’s original quest was to understand her Victorian grandfather, Walter Parker, born in 1885 in Upwell on the Norfolk/Cambridgeshire border.

Helen is the author of A Victorian’s Inheritance (exploring her grandfather Walter Parker’s psychological inheritance from his alcoholic mother in Victorian England) and ‘Yet’: A Story of Triumph Over Childhood Separation, Trauma, and Disability (telling her father Harry Drabble’s story of institutionalisation due to bovine tuberculosis in 1930s Sheffield).

Family history doesn’t survive unless it’s in print, which is why Helen set out to write engaging and accessible biographies that not only explore working-class Victorian life but could motivate and encourage other family historians struggling to pass on what they have painstakingly discovered. The result, in part, is an exploration of the transgenerational legacy of loss, trauma, anxiety and depression.

Through her writing, speaking, and research, Helen helps individuals understand the psychological inheritance they’ve received from their ancestors and empowers them to transform patterns for future generations.