Bridging past and present: Embodied intergenerational trauma and the implications for dance/movement therapy

Abstract

This paper explores the role of the body in intergenerational transmission of trauma using examples of wartime sexual violence (WSV) during World War II in Germany. It is argued that traumatic memory held in the body is transmitted between generations in a similar fashion to how implicit body memory is passed on from body to body. In relationship, the body shapes subjectivity and intersubjectivity and therefore represents a vessel for transmission of trauma on a familial and cultural level. Silence and culture as source of perpetuation of trauma are taken into account. Furthermore, the severe long-term effects of rape, underlying body defences and relational consequences are outlined. Somatic implications for descendents of WSV survivors are unknown and require research. Dance/movement therapy is offered as a body-focused modality to help transform intergenerational trauma caused by WSV. Implications for further research in body-to-body transmission of trauma are highlighted.