The Republic of Georgia is known for its long and diverse history, where Georgians sacrificed themselves and fought wars for freedom, which has become very inspirational for many people, especially Georgian youth. Georgian people were mostly protectors instead of predators; therefore, they went through lots of hardships, facing immense trauma and loss. It is a known fact that traumas are transgenerational. It has been proven through different research studies. When a person experiences trauma, their DNA activates genes to help them survive the crisis. These genes are primed for future dangerous situations. A person later passes down these genes to their offspring. People affected by intergenerational trauma might experience symptoms such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
PTSD is a common mental health condition that usually develops after a traumatic event. It can cause intrusive symptoms such as anxiety, nightmares, negative thoughts and beliefs, hypervigilance, and more. This also leads to the avoidance of things related to trauma. Traumatic events can cause changes in specific areas of the brain. The amygdala, which is mainly responsible for emotions, becomes overactive and leads to heightened fear and anxiety responses in certain situations. The hippocampus, which is responsible for memory, may decrease in volume, which leads to memory impairment that is caused by stress hormones. It makes it difficult for the brain to distinguish between the past and the present.
In 2008, Russians invaded Georgia, occupied their land, and left a profound impact on the nation’s mental health, including invisible PTSD. Ekaterine Makhashvili worked on this subject by conducting a study. She surveyed 3000 Georgians and found that 20% had PTSD in the aftermath of the 2008 war.
Many people lost communities as they had to become internally displaced persons (IDPs). This trauma could have caused PTSD, emotional detachment, and intrusive thoughts, which in turn could have been passed down to children and grandchildren rooted in the family’s history.
Moreover, the stigma around psychological issues is very prevalent in Georgia. In which the Soviets played a big role since they brainwashed people. To make it clearer, parents didn’t know how to express emotions while raising their child, and the child who grew up traumatized by it had difficulty raising a child. Therefore, this stigma associated with emotions and psychological issues deterred individuals from seeking out help.
During PTSD, the prefrontal cortex also shrinks, which is responsible for decision-making and rational thinking. The less we use that part of the brain, the pathways get trimmed; therefore, when we cannot think of a reason for our traumatic sensations, then it is hard to fight the emotions. According to neuroplasticity, the brain can change in response to the environment, so it can heal as well. We can target those areas of the brain through cognitive and emotional work and try to resolve the issue, such as through yoga, reading, and writing exercises. In addition, therapies such as CBT, EMDR, and so on have been proven to work.
Today, Georgians are still facing Russians. As Georgia’s biggest value is freedom, Georgians will do their best to regain it. As Simone de Beauvoir has said, “the existence of others as a freedom defines my situation and is even the condition of my own freedom.” Which means that until Georgians as a nation are freed from the constraints, no personal freedom will be achieved from even the traumas.
References:
PsyD, A. M. (2024, May 14). Understanding Intergenerational Trauma and Its Effects on Mental Health. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-integenerational-trauma-5211898#toc-genetics-and-intergenerational-trauma
Therapy in a Nutshell. (2022, April 14). How Trauma and PTSD Change the Brain [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wdUR69J2u6c
Written By: Mariam Shengelia, Mental H2O Youth Resource Writer
