Breaking the Cycle: How Trauma Passes from Parent to Child

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ufsH8xu95n4

A conversation with Dr. Monica Borschel

Why does trauma repeat itself across generations—even when parents genuinely want something better for their children?

In this episode of the Chris Meyer Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Monica Borschel, a clinician and forensic psychology specialist whose work focuses on attachment, trauma, family systems, and the psychological dynamics that shape relationships between parents and children. Dr. Borschel holds advanced training in clinical and forensic psychology and is a certified EMDR therapist with experience working in family law–related contexts across the United States and internationally.

Together, we explore how trauma lives not only in memory, but in the nervous system—and how children often absorb emotional patterns their parents never intended to pass down. Many families are not struggling because of a lack of love. They are struggling because stress responses shaped earlier in life quietly influence communication, attachment, conflict, and decision-making inside the home.

We also discuss how unresolved trauma can influence parenting behavior, relationship stability, and even what happens when families enter the legal system during divorce or custody disputes. As a Texas family law attorney working daily with families navigating high-conflict situations, I see firsthand how these invisible psychological dynamics affect real outcomes for parents and children.

Most importantly, this conversation is about awareness—and hope.

Understanding trauma is not about blame. It is about recognizing patterns that can be changed. When parents begin to understand what they carried from their own childhoods, they gain the ability to respond differently with their children. That is how cycles begin to break.

If you are a parent, a professional working with families, or someone trying to better understand your own story, this episode offers insight into how trauma moves through families—and how healing can begin with one person choosing a different path. Breaking the cycle does not happen all at once.

It starts with noticing. It continues with understanding. And it becomes real when someone decides the pattern stops with them.