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Generational curses are misfortunes that tend to happen over and over again, from one generation to the next. Some Christians believe they’re caused by sin or are punishments from God. Others see them as traumas that persist from a parent to their child, or a series of consequences for an action, rather than a literal curse. We’ll tell you more about what generational curses are and fill you in on the 5 main types. We’ll also clear up whether or not they’re real, and what you can do to fix them.
Things You Should Know
- A generational curse is a repeating pattern of misfortune that affects a parent as well as their children, and beyond.
- Types of generational curses include disobedience, or when a child doesn’t listen to a parent, and violence, or when someone intentionally hurts another person.
- Idolatry and bad habit curses both involve putting too much attention on things other than God. Illness is a hereditary misfortune that spans generations.
Steps
Breaking Generational Curses
- Identify patterns of misfortune in your family. Before you can break a curse, you first need to identify the curse. Think about the misfortunes you struggle with and ask yourself if your parents or your own children struggle with the same misfortunes.[11] For example, do you struggle with poverty? Illness? Addiction? A traumatic experience? Find the thread that links the struggle across generations.
- Ask your parents about their struggles, and for advice. Our parents are a valuable source of information on generational traumas. After all, they came before us and battled those curses first. If you can, ask them about their experiences with your own struggles, and how they navigated them.[12] They may not have all the answers, but they may have indispensable wisdom that can help you with your current situation.
- Or, ask your own children about their own struggles. Even if they don’t have years of experience under their belts, they can still be valuable fonts of knowledge, and two generations putting their heads together are better than one.
- For example, say, “I’ve been thinking about my illness lately, and remembered you struggled with the same illness. Can you tell me more about how you handled it?”
- Tell new, positive stories about your family history. Often, generational traumas are a self-fulfilling prophecy. Focusing too much on your family’s misfortunes may make repeating those misfortunes inevitable. Instead, tell your parents and children positive stories from your family.[13] Ask your parents for fun stories from their lives that demonstrate courage or good morals, or think of stories from your own life, and tell them to your family to help instill more hope and faith in themselves and the world around them.
- Write those stories down in a notebook or a digital document to make a lasting collection that you can share with your entire family.
- Turn to your faith or community for stability. In times of turbulence or struggle, turning to your faith can provide profound insight.[14] Prayer can provide a productive grounding activity. Also, you don’t have to face your generational trauma alone. Rather, talk to other people in your faith community, like after church or during community events like potlucks, and ask them about their own experiences. They may have helpful advice or valuable resources.
- If you’re not religious or don’t have a faith community, consider joining even starting a support group which can gather like-minded people of similar experience to pool resources and find solutions.
- Incorporate some simple prayers for breaking curses into your worship. For example: “Lord, thank you for protecting my family, and please help us overcome our struggles,” or, “Holy Spirit, help guide my family away from our generational curses and seek God in all things.”
- Talk to a therapist about your own struggles. Telling your problems to a professional can help get some perspective from a third party.[15] Chatting with a therapist, someone who’s not involved in the cycle of your generational troubles, may help you find a way out of them that you can’t see from inside.
- Tell your therapist the nature of your generational trauma, how it affects you, and how it affects your parents or children to give them a full picture.
Expert Q&A
Tips
References
- ↑ https://www.gotquestions.org/generational-curses.html
- ↑ https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2020%3A5&version=NIV
- ↑ https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%203&version=NIV
- ↑ https://resonancetv.com/how-to-break-generational-curses/#5_types_of_generational_curses
- ↑ https://www.openbible.info/topics/empathy
- ↑ https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus%2020%3A3-5&version=NIV
- ↑ https://biblehub.com/galatians/6-7.htm
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/evolutionary-psychiatry/201909/genetics-and-mental-illness
- ↑ https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2018%3A20&version=NIV
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-flourishing-family/202107/breaking-the-chains-generational-trauma
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-flourishing-family/202107/breaking-the-chains-generational-trauma
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-flourishing-family/202107/breaking-the-chains-generational-trauma
- ↑ https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/the-flourishing-family/202107/breaking-the-chains-generational-trauma
- ↑ https://www.gotquestions.org/generational-curses.html
- ↑ https://www.nhs.uk/mental-health/talking-therapies-medicine-treatments/talking-therapies-and-counselling/benefits-of-talking-therapies/
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