Many of the behaviours and triggers we experience in our lives and in our families are a result of the traumatic patterns passed down from generation to generation in our families.
Certain events or occurrences may be triggering for us because of what our parents, grandparents and great-grandparents experienced and how they dealt with it. Families may feel that “love conquers all,” or that as a family, “we can get through anything together.” While these are nice concepts, intergenerational trauma never gets addressed and patterns never get broken unless they are dealt with directly.
Intergenerational trauma affects all of us, but we all have a choice of how we choose to deal with it. Intergenerational trauma can end with you.
Increasing your religious observance will not solve your anxiety, your depression or your relationships. The solution to your emotional conflicts lies within yourself.”-Anna Sherman, RP
Have you ever been told that turning to your faith will bring you emotional respite? That an increase in observance will bring you peace of mind?
Sometimes when people are struggling, they assume that taking on new religious commitments will help them recover from their anxieties, fears or traumas.
Growing within your faith can be a very enriching experience, if approached for the right reasons.
However, relying on your faith to solve your emotional struggles will leave you coming up empty-handed and disappointed. Mental health struggles actually have nothing to do with faith in G-d!
While many people may blame anxiety, depression and fear on the lack of effort you make in your faith, in reality, we can't control the tendencies your brain has by praying harder or taking on more religious commitments.
So if religious conviction works for you, go for it. But don't use it to treat your mental health, because it is essentially unrelated.