"Word 4 Word" by Moneybagg Yo (2021) I remember the first time I heard that line. My husband was blasting Word 4 Word in our living room, and I was doing what I always did - yelling at him to turn it down. But something made me stop mid-sentence. Little did I know, that through the bass and the beats, those words would later hit me like a punch to the chest. At first, I took it for what it was. Just another hard-hitting track filled with street wisdom. The usual reminders to stay ready, trust no one, and always keep your eyes open. It's the language of survival, passed down not through gentle stories, but through warnings, instincts, and lived experience. I didn’t think much of it at the time. But later that night, when the house had settled into silence and everything around me was still, those lyrics kept replaying in my mind. Not just as words, but as something deeper. Something inherited. I reached for my phone and opened YouTube. The song was still there in the wat...
Generational trauma, also known as ancestral or inter generational trauma, is a term that’s slowly gaining recognition in discussions surrounding mental health. It’s a concept that refers to the psychological and emotional wounds passed down from one generation to the next, often without conscious awareness. Whether we realize it or not, the patterns of behavior, beliefs, and struggles in our family history can have a significant impact on who we are today. The past shapes the present. Our ancestors' experiences, particularly those involving hardship, violence, discrimination, or loss, can continue to affect us long after the events have occurred. These wounds don’t simply disappear with time. Instead, they get passed on, manifesting in various ways across generations. And the cycle continues until it’s actively acknowledged and healed. The Unseen Impact Generational trauma often goes unnoticed, because it’s ingrained in our daily lives, our relationships, and even in the way we pe...