Intergenerational & Inherited Family Trauma · Healing
"These inherited pains can show up as anxiety, depression, or issues with relationships we've never been able to explain. We rarely think to connect them with what our parents — or (great-)grandparents — went through."Get in Touch
When do we speak of "trauma"?
Without realizing it, we carry our parents' traumas and fears. We echo the same relationships our parents and grandparents once lived through, even if we don't want to.
When we hear the word "trauma", we often think of major, dramatic experiences: war, violence, sexual, physical, or emotional abuse, natural disasters, neglect. But other life events can leave an equally profound and overwhelming impact: being bullied at school, being cheated on by a partner, or growing up without attention or care from your parents.
Interpersonal experiences like these can feel deeply threatening, and their effects on your well-being can last for years, quietly keeping you from living the life you want to live.
"This is exactly how intergenerational trauma works: the most deep-rooted patterns are often the ones that were never talked about. They are passed down biologically, from generation to generation — much like the physical traits we're born with."
Family Trauma Healing — How Does It Work?
The process I use is based on the method of Mark Wolynn, author of "It Didn't Start With You", and Bert Hellinger's family constellations. Carefully, and at your own pace, in a safe environment, we'll trace your inherited family pattern back to its source, and uncover it.
I completely understand that you'll first want to see if we click, so we schedule a free 15-minute call for you to get to know me and understand the process. Afterwards, you decide if you'd like to continue.
Free · 15 minWe discuss what you're struggling with and what you want to focus on in your healing process. I ask targeted questions to clarify the core issue we'll be working with.
± 1 hourYou'll receive an extensive questionnaire about the family lines of both your biological parents. You gather answers through conversations with them or other relatives. Based on your responses, I draw up a family chart - the pattern becomes visible.
1–3 weeksWe go through your family history together, exploring the source of your core issue. In a safe space, you energetically invite the family member involved and have the conversation you were never able to have - giving back the responsibility you unconsciously took on, and restoring the lineage within your family.
1.5–2 hoursIf needed, we schedule a second healing session to unravel further layers or provide additional healing, or to work on an insecure attachment with your mother or father.
1.5–2 hoursChronic problems in relationships, work, or self-confidence often stem from an insecure attachment to our mother or father. To heal a break in this bond, you'll receive a simple yet highly effective personal assignment to work on for three months, checking in with me regularly on any emotional, physical, or relational changes.
3 monthsExperiences from others
For the first time in years, my inner child feels safe again. I no longer wake up feeling like I can't handle the whole day. Relationships around me flow with more ease — because I now feel room for self-love, instead of putting myself last.
Before working with Carolien, I was struggling in many areas of my life — my family relationships were difficult, and I was weighed down by emotions I couldn't explain. After completing her questionnaire and beginning our sessions, I realized how deeply my parents' experiences, and the trauma carried through generations, had shaped my own life. After just three sessions, the darkest thoughts that had been consuming me disappeared, and I found a job that suits me and built more meaningful connections with my family and friends.
I did a session with Carolien to energetically show my father that I would have wanted to be guided differently. It was good to finally be able to express this. I'm now trying to limit the damage to my own daughter by facing this myself.
About Me
I was born and raised in the Netherlands, though I've also lived abroad. I'm a proud mother of two daughters and grandmother of two grandsons. After studying Dutch law and building a career in communications and fundraising, I decided to completely change course and follow my passion: supporting others in their healing process.
In 2020, I trained with Mark Wolynn, author of It Didn't Start With You, an experienced practitioner of Bert Hellinger's family constellations. After 15 years of working closely with Bert Hellinger, Mark developed a way to bring the family constellations process, which normally requires a large group, into one-on-one sessions. This method works to break intergenerational family patterns and restore what needs healing — whether that's inherited family trauma, insecure attachment, or patterns you've never been able to place.
To me, this work is more than a method, it's a calling. I'm intuitively guided in sessions and work from a place of deep compassion and presence. Safety and warmth aren't secondary: they're the foundation of everything. Seeing my clients reconnect with their own inner strength, sometimes after just one session, fills me with gratitude for being able to do this work.
All sessions take place online, so you can work from your own familiar environment, wherever in the world you are. If you prefer, we can also meet in person in the The Hague area. Sessions are available in Dutch or English.
Investment
Sessions are held online unless otherwise agreed. I believe this healing process should be accessible to everyone — if you're a student, unemployed, or facing a difficult financial situation, please get in touch about a reduced rate.
✦ The short introductory call is always free — 15 minutes, no obligationPass it forward
Because I believe this healing process should be accessible to everyone, I welcome donations on top of your own costs. This allows me to offer reduced rates to those who find it difficult to pay for this support.
On their behalf — thank you so much.
"It takes a village to co-create a village."Get in Touch
Send me an email for a no-obligation introductory conversation (15 minutes, free). Whether you're struggling with depression, anxiety, insecure attachment, or patterns you can't quite place. I'd be happy to look at it together with you.
Online sessions · In-person in the The Hague area · Dutch & English