Emotional Inheritance: How Your Family’s Trauma Becomes Your Child’s Story with Dr. Galit Atlas

What if your childhood trauma isn't just yours to carry? What if emotional inheritance means your kids are already carrying pieces of it too? 

Today I'm talking with Dr. Galit Atlas, whose book "Emotional Inheritance" completely changed how I think about the invisible legacies we pass to our children. We get real about something that happened to both of us: being told we couldn't possibly have PTSD because we were "too functional." (Spoiler: that's not how trauma works.) We explore why some parents literally can't tolerate their baby's crying - not because they're bad parents, but because their own pain was never held. Dr. Atlas shares the story of Naomi, a patient who insisted she had perfect parents but couldn't figure out why she felt like an outsider everywhere. We talk about the burden of parents who say "I just want you to be happy" and why sitting with your child's pain matters more than fixing it. 

Plus, we discuss how therapy might actually change your gene expression (yes, really) and why even the angriest, most difficult parts of what we inherited can become something different in our children's lives.

Topics covered on Emotional Inheritance:

1. What does emotional inheritance really mean, and why does Dr. Atlas call therapy an "epigenetic drug" that can actually change how our genes express themselves?
2. Why do trauma survivors often struggle to recognize their own trauma, especially when they compare themselves to their parents' experiences?
3. What happens when well-meaning parents who desperately want their children to "just be happy" accidentally create a different kind of burden?
4. Why is sitting with your child's pain more important than fixing it, and how does this relate to emotional inheritance patterns?
5. What is mentalization, and how does one patient's reaction to a creepy doll reveal the profound impact of never experiencing true attunement?
6. Why is the ability to integrate both the positive and negative aspects of our family legacy essential for breaking unhealthy cycles?
7. What resilience and survival skills do we inherit alongside trauma, and how can we consciously pass on the strengths while healing the wounds?

Connect with me on Instagram @dr.koslowitzpsychology and check out my new book Post-Traumatic Parenting: Break the Cycle and Become the Parent You Always Wanted to Be

For full show notes and more resources visit https://www.drrobynkoslowitz.com/2025/10/29/emotional-inheri…h-dr-galit-atlas/