Healing Ancestral Trauma through Sound and Ritual

In this personal exploration, I share part of my journey with healing ancestral and collective trauma inherited from generations of Irish women. Through the symbolic use of teacups, the transformative power of sound healing, and heart-opening cacao ceremonies, I navigate my path from oppression to liberation. This post is a testament to the resilience of women, the power of sound, and reclaiming one's authentic self.

The healing legacy of teacups

Filled with untold stories, these teacups are more than just porcelain and paint.

They are symbols of a rich legacy, reflecting the strength and resilience of the women in my lineage. Now, they serve as vessels for healing and transformation.

Ancestral Trauma: A Silent Burden Shared

These teacups hold within them the echoes of female ancestral trauma, a silent burden passed down through generations. This trauma is not merely personal, but collective, shared by a multitude of Irish women who have endured oppression and suppression. It's a trauma born from a history of silenced voices, of being confined within societal roles that stifled self-expression and self-realisation. 

It is a trauma that manifests as physical and emotional pain within me, a reminder of the struggles my foremothers faced. Recently, an unexpected wave of ancestral trauma surfaced, making its presence known in my right hip. It was a reminder that healing isn’t linear, it’s a journey that weaves through generations.

A significant part of Ireland's allure lies in its wild and untamed countryside and coastlines. As a child, whenever I visited these places, I found myself irresistibly drawn to their raw, natural beauty. It was as if the wildness of the land was speaking directly to my soul, resonating with a deep, unspoken part of me.

From Trauma to Healing: The Power of Transformation

Now, these teacups have found their way to me. No longer symbols of confinement, they’ve become vessels of healing and transformation. They remind us that while we carry the trauma of our ancestors, we also inherit their strength and resilience. We possess the power to transform this trauma, to heal ourselves and our lineage. In doing so, we not only honour the women who came before us, but we also pave the way for future generations, so they may be free to live authentic, fulfilled lives.

As I hold cacao ceremonies, each sip from these teacups can be a tribute to the women in my lineage, a testament to our resilience, and a tool to help other women open their hearts, find their authentic selves, and embrace their feminine nature.

The Women in My Lineage: Stories of Strength and Sacrifice

My Nana, a woman of strength and grace, lived a life marked by service and sacrifice.

She was a seamstress and a baker, her hands weaving dreams into each stitch and kneading love into each loaf.

Yet, she was confined within the walls of her home, her spirit oppressed by the weight of her alcoholic husband's needs.

The teacups she held were symbols of her confined life, her dreams poured into them, only to cool and remain untouched.

Her daughter, my mother, was a woman of ambition and determination.

She dreamed of becoming a mechanic, and then of studying geology at Trinity in Dublin.

But her dreams were deemed too bold, too un-lady like. Instead, she was handed the teacups, a silent reminder of the life she was expected to lead.

She defied expectations, her spirit too strong to be confined.

She fought her way to teaching college in Belfast, her teacups remaining untouched, a symbol of a life she refused to accept.

Epigenetics and Trauma: The Physical Manifestation of Oppression

Epigenetics tells us that we carry the emotional and physical imprints of our ancestors. As an egg in my Nana’s womb, I would have absorbed her emotions, her traumas. The women in my lineage, including myself, have suffered from heavy periods and endometriosis, told that pelvic pain was normal. But pelvic pain is not normal. It is a symptom of suppressed sexuality and creativity, a physical manifestation of the oppression that the women in my lineage faced.

Finding Durga: Embracing the Multifaceted Nature of Womanhood

Religion, too, played a role in this oppression. In Northern Ireland, women were confined to the roles of mothers or whores, their identities reduced to these two extremes. But later in life, I found solace in a different representation of women. I found Durga, a Hindu goddess who embodies the full spectrum of feminine power and grace.

Durga is not just a deity, she is a symbol of the multifaceted nature of womanhood. She is a mother, nurturing and loving, a cook who feeds the divine and the mortal, a seamstress weaving the fabric of the universe. Yet, she is also a warrior, fierce and fearless, riding a lion into battle against the forces of evil and ignorance. She is the protector of the realms, the one who brings light to darkness, the embodiment of shakti - the cosmic energy that animates life.

Embracing the Lessons of Durga: Healing and Transformation

Through my own journey of healing, I have embraced the lessons of Durga. I have learned to balance my own strength and kindness, my power and compassion. I have learned to embrace all aspects of my femininity, to honour the warrior and the nurturer within me. And in doing so, I have begun to heal my lineage, to rewrite the narrative of the women who came before me.

The Power of Sound Healing: Releasing Trauma and Reclaiming Identity

Sound has a profound ability to heal and transform. It can reach into the deepest parts of our being, resonating with our internal frequencies, releasing stored traumas, and restoring harmony. I have a set of Tibetan singing bowls, each attuned to a different chakra within the body.

One day, I was particularly drawn to the bowl associated with the sacral chakra. The sacral chakra, located in the lower abdomen, is the centre of our emotions, creativity, and sexuality. It embodies our ability to connect with others and accept new experiences. It's also where we often store trauma, particularly trauma related to oppression and suppression of our feminine nature.

As I played the sacral bowl, I felt a deep, resonating connection. The sound vibrations seemed to echo the pain of my Nana, my Mum, the pain of oppressed Irish women. But as the sound filled the room, I realised something profound - I no longer had to carry this pain. I was no longer an oppressed Irish woman. I was free.

As the sound of the bowl reverberated through me, something incredible happened. My lower back crunched open, releasing years of stored tension and trauma. I played the bowl again, and the release moved up my spine, a few inches higher. My body, which had grown tight and gnarled due to years of oppression and trauma, was finally releasing its burdens. I felt a curve in my spine that I had never felt before, a physical manifestation of the emotional and spiritual release I was experiencing.

Two days later, I visited my Osteopath. She was astounded by the transformation. The curvature in my spine was undeniable, a testament to the power of sound healing. She measured my height and found that I had grown an inch! It was as if, in releasing the trauma of my lineage, I had also released the physical constraints that had been holding me back.

Reconnecting with My Roots: Embracing My Irish Heritage

Growing up in Northern Ireland, I grappled with a complex identity. My Nana once told me as a child, "Never let anyone tell you that you are not Irish." As a young girl, I didn't fully understand the weight of her words. But as I grew older, their meaning became clear.

In my community, we were expected to align ourselves with a British identity, to fly the Union Jack and pledge allegiance to the Queen.

Our Irishness was suppressed, deemed inappropriate or even disloyal. This denial of our heritage, this forced adoption of an identity that didn't resonate with me, was a form of oppression that hung heavy in the air.

At 19, I escaped Northern Ireland, eager to distance myself from the tension and conflict. Each time I returned, I could feel the oppression as soon as I stepped off the plane, a palpable reminder of struggles that had marked my early years. I never looked forward to those visits.

The Healing Power of Ancestral Sounds: My Journey Back Home

But through my journey of healing and self-discovery, I found a way to reconnect with my Irish roots.

When I play my drum, I hear the echoes of my ancestors, their stories resonating in each beat.

I feel a deep connection to the land, to the rolling green hills, the magnificent trees, and the rugged coastlines.

I feel my Irishness, the wisdom of my female lineage, flowing through me.

Now, I look forward to returning to Ireland. I look forward to feeling the soil beneath my feet, to hearing the whispers of my ancestors in the wind. I am proud of my Irish heritage, of the strength and resilience of the women who came before me.

Their journey of healing and transformation continues through me, and I am committed to carrying it forward. As I walk this path, I recognise that healing is not a destination, but a lifelong journey, one that I am honoured to undertake.