What are legacy burdens? 3 ways to heal intergenerational trauma using Internal Family Systems.
We often have beliefs and emotions about ourselves that contribute to our suffering in the world. IFS refers to these as burdens that attach to often young parts of us stuck in the past.
So, this begs the question, what are legacy burdens? Legacy burdens are burdens passed down through the generations. They can be a result of how the family addressed certain issues explicitly or implicitly. A devoted sense of duty to the family could be a legacy burden, or a need to keep quiet as to not embarrass the family are examples of legacy burdens that could impact parts of us. Here are 3 ways we can heal intergenerational trauma using Internal Family Systems.
Becoming a cycle breaker and connecting with Self
Sometimes we can’t point to one specific event or interaction that occurred that allowed this legacy burden to enter our inner system but a sense or collection of felt experience can contribute to the burden being there. Internal Family Systems uses an approach that allows us to resolve the wounds that were passed down to us and release that which may not serve us any longer. This is what being a cycle breaker is all about, that legacy burdens didn’t start with you but that it doesn’t mean that it must continue with you.
Internal Family Systems addresses legacy burdens by getting us connected to what IFS calls Self. Self is a compassionate courageous entity within everyone that knows how to heal. Self can then approach younger parts of us that carry these legacy burdens and help release them.
2. Getting curious about the origins of the pain
Internal Family Systems uses an approach that allows us to resolve the wounds that were passed down to us and release that which may not serve us any longer. This is what being a cycle breaker is all about, that legacy burdens didn’t start with you but that it doesn’t mean that it must continue with you.
Internal Family Systems addresses legacy burdens by getting us connected to what IFS calls Self. Self is a compassionate courageous entity within everyone that knows how to heal. Self can then approach younger parts of us that carry these legacy burdens and help release them.
A few questions we can ask parts to understand if it is a legacy burden are
How far does this go back?
When did you pickup this belief?
Do you recognize other people in your family having a similar experience?
These questions can help us determine the origin of the pain and create an understanding for our internal systems.
3. How to heal legacy burdens
Once a legacy burden has been identified and a relationship has been built between Self and the parts who carry these legacy burdens, we can then release these burdens.
A beautiful way I have seen clients tap into compassion is releasing the legacy burden throughout their whole family line internally. Client’s have also chosen to send the burden to a wise ancestral person in their lineage who could transform the burden. It is up to each client’s system and their parts how they would like to release the pain they’ve carried.
A common focal point with legacy burdens is not wanting to release certain aspects of the legacy burden that are positive.
You may be wondering how something painful can be positive. Often times people connect with members in their family in different ways through this shared burden.
We can be clear with these young parts that we can release the pain and keep that which you want to keep. Maybe you want to keep the connection with your family or keep the resolve that this legacy burden instilled.
But in releasing the pain it would be your choice, which is a healing agent of its own. Intergenerational trauma often was passed down to us without any choice. The beautiful moments shared are when parts of us can choose to release the pain or not, to choose what to keep or not, and I firmly believe that the choice factor is a big proponent of healing the internal system.
A caveat here that feels important for me to mention. We can release pain of the past but this doesn’t mean that we ignore the systems that are still in place causing said legacy burdens. It doesn’t mean that we are immune to that pain either, but in connecting to Self we aren’t alone in that pain.
Working with me
My name is Justin Martin and I’m an IFS therapist. If you’re interested with working with an IFS therapist to help resolve intergenerational trauma you can learn more about my services here.