Forum

When I began researching my family history in 1996 and then dove into the WWI and WWII history in 2010, I never expected to discover I was living out my ancestors' war traumas and unfinished business. Yet, that's exactly what happened.

Genealogy research is portrayed as this big adventure on which we get to collect facts, documents, and photos about our life and that of our family. Add your DNA to that and you might discover long lost relatives (or hidden/secret relatives). Military research is portrayed as learning what our veteran did during his combat experience. In both research fields, we are taught (or learn) how to research, how to write the stories, what to look for, but we are never taught how what we discover affected our ancestors or that we might be affected today because of what was passed through the DNA. We are never taught that the act of all this research into death can have an effect on us emotionally, physically, mentally, or spirtiually. These are things I feel we need to talk about, educate on, and become aware of so we can heal.

Why is this important to me? Because I was living my WWII Navy grandparent's unfinished business, secrets, mental health, traumas, and life, with my late Dutch husband. I didn't even realize I was doing this until I was so deep into the marriage and all the bad stuff happening and hit the bottom. At the bottom I discovered a tool called the Genogram and began my healing journey with my grandparents on the other side, and changed my life. To change required me to really look at what the genealogy and military documents were saying. To ask more questions of my parents, especially my dad about who his father was after the war. To look at the energies I was living and bringing to relationships, work, life, etc., and release what was keeping me stuck in repeating patterns. To get humble and honest about my part in what wasn't working.

For the last three years, I have been deeply invested in exploring not only this set of ancestors but my other ancestors. Comparing things that have or are happening in my life to what happened in theirs. I know I came here to help heal my ancestors, help heal humanity, however difficult and painful it may be at times. One big thing I have learned is when we heal ourselves or release what doesn't serve us - we also heal our ancestors. My WWII grandparents no longer carry the energetic pain they did a year, three years, five years, etc. ago. My grandpa's energy is very calm now where before it was manic. My life and relationships have changed and I'm no longer attracting things that will bring me down, keep me stuck, or be painful all the time.

If you have never considered your research from this aspect, I invite you to do so. Visit the Ancestral Souls Wisdom School and WWII Research & Writing Center to read articles, learn more, join a class, start research, or book a private healing session with me. How might your life change just by starting to identify the patterns and traumas you carry and live?