Trauma, Healing, and the Body

Trauma does not end when the event is over. It can live on in the body, in relationships, and across generations. In this episode of Chosen For What?, host Tommy Schnurmacher explores what trauma looks like beyond the moment it is experienced, and how it continues to shape the lives of Holocaust survivors and their descendants.

Through conversations with trauma therapist Brent Diaz, second-generation survivor Dorothy Goldwin, and descendants of survivors including Monica Bialski and Willie Handler, this episode examines how trauma can be carried, often unconsciously, from one generation to the next. From inherited anxiety and emotional patterns to survivor's guilt and silence within families, these stories highlight the many ways trauma can manifest long after the original experience. The discussion also touches on how people begin to recognize these patterns and what healing can look like over time.

The episode also features Aviva Ptack, a Holocaust survivor who was hidden as a child during the war. Her firsthand experience offers a powerful perspective on the origins of trauma, grounding the conversation in lived history. Together, these voices help answer questions many people are searching for today, including how trauma is passed down, how Holocaust survivors cope, and how future generations can begin to understand and process inherited pain.

Chosen For What? is brought to you by the Foundation for Genocide Education, a Canadian non-profit organization dedicated to ensuring that every student understands the history and lessons of the Holocaust and other genocides. To learn more about their work, or to make a donation, please visit GenEd.org.