Spoilers ahead if you didn’t watch Disney’s film Encanto!
Disney has a way of exploring heavier life topics that can help children and the 2021 film Encanto is no exception. Movies like Inside Out and Soul also assist children in exploring heavier aspects of life, such as emotions, trauma, consciousness, and even death. Encanto joins the long list of children’s movies that have a deeper message.
Disney’s Encanto offers a multigenerational story about a grandmother and her family who have been endowed with magical gifts. The Madrigal family lives in a hidden village in Colombia. While each family member does their best to live up to their reputation and help others in the community, the facade slowly begins to crumble figuratively and literally in the house that all three generations share.
Not only do people love this movie because of its catchy soundtrack, including the famous song “We don’t talk about Bruno”, but people also love it because of its exploration of generational trauma.
Anchor Therapy is a counseling center in Hoboken, NJ with mental health therapists specialized in helping children, teens, adults, couples, and families with anxiety, depression, relationship issues, trauma, life transitions, and more. Anchor Therapy is accepting new clients and is now providing in-person sessions and teletherapy sessions to residents of New Jersey, New York, and Florida.
Before we dive in, let us explore what intergenerational trauma is:
Intergenerational trauma refers to trauma that is passed from a trauma survivor to their descendants. It has many names, including transgenerational trauma, generational trauma, and multigenerational trauma.
If you are experiencing generational trauma, you may share symptoms, reactions, patterns, and emotional and psychological consequences of trauma that an ancestor of yours had. It is not only parents and grandparents who influence your generational trauma, it can be any member of your family’s previous generation.
For more information on this topic, our blog “What Is Considered Intergenerational Trauma?” is a must-read.
What is a trauma response?
Humans have survived and progressed for thousands of years because we are so good at adapting to unique situations. If you live with chronic stress or have gone through a traumatic experience, certain responses can help you survive. This response is regarded as a trauma response.
In the short-term, these responses are great! They help you cope and even survive. However, when you are constantly in a “survival mode” headspace, it is harmful for your mental and physical health in the long-run. Your brain learns this adaptive behavior because it recognizes what keeps you safe and your family safe and alive.
This adaptation may become second-nature to you that you even pass it down to future generations. Once this is done, it can be hard to unlearn.
If you are struggling with childhood trauma, check out our blog “How Childhood Trauma Can Impact You As An Adult.” If you are looking to heal your trauma, read our blog post “How To Heal Childhood Trauma As An Adult.”
Why is remaining in “survival mode” bad?
When you stay in “survival mode”, it restricts your ability to grow. Living in this automatic mode is a direct response to fear, trauma, and scarcity. When you have a developed and lived sense of security, it is possible to thrive! If you struggle with generational trauma, you may not have a model for what is safe.
If you struggle with trauma, you might struggle to feel calm in situations that are even viewed as objectively safe. This can be due to the anxiety that an additional traumatic event will occur. If this happens to you, you may recognize that your trauma response is harmful rather than helpful.
For support, read our blog “Everything You Need To Know About CBT for PTSD.”
An example of common generational trauma:
A common example of intergenerational trauma is if you grew up in a household where yelling was common. Your parents may have screamed and shouted at you from a place of anger due to their own unresolved childhood trauma.
If you want to understand the impact of multigenerational trauma, it is important to try to understand where it comes from. This pattern of yelling could be adaptive behavior for survival that your parents learned or perhaps your parents never learned the tools, energy, modeling, and support needed to raise and speak to their children in a loving way. There could also be constant struggles or even historical oppression present.
What causes transgenerational trauma?
Transgenerational trauma occurs when trauma is passed down amongst generations. This can occur if an ancestor experienced abuse as a child, therefore the abuse impacts their parenting and the cycle of trauma continues.
Intergenerational trauma can also result from systematic oppression. Some examples of this include:
Racial and ethnic minorities
Refugees
Holocaust survivors
How Encanto displays Intergenerational trauma:
The Madrigal family has many special gifts from super-strength to shapeshifting. They use these powers to help their community. But, despite the family trying hard to keep up with their esteemed reputation, it all comes to a halt when there are cracks in the family, including cracks in the family house that is shared by three generations.
From the amazing animations to the engaging storyline, there is a lot to love about Encanto. But, one aspect that many people find very relatable in the film is the pain and confusion that generational trauma can trigger.
Abuela Alma, the family’s matriarch, tells a fascinating tale about how the family ended up in the small village of Colombia and the miracle of their gifts; however, the traumatic event that led them to that place is glossed over.
What traumatic event occurred in Encanto?
An army attacked Abuela Alma and her husband Pedro’s home village which forced the couple to flee with their young triplets. The armed soldiers chased both Alma and Pedro. Pedro tried to hold them off and ended up getting killed right in front of his wife. The candle that Alma was holding protected her, and led her to her new village and overall new life.
Alma focuses on the beauty that came from this unbelievably horrible experience, and how it kept her and her children alive. While it is amazing to be able to view the good in such a negative situation, it is also essential to acknowledge the pain in this traumatic event.
The magic that the Madrigal clan has is embedded in deep pain. The suffering is so deep that it impacts every family member even if they do not understand why or how it does.
The background trauma storyline in Encanto shows how people understand and explore multigenerational trauma. This includes:
What intergenerational trauma is exactly
How people cope with it
How you can heal from it
How does Abuela Alma deal with the trauma?
Through the lens of intergenerational trauma, when one person experiences a traumatic event, it impacts the whole family system. Abuela Alma was traumatized when she and her babies were physically displaced, and she witnessed the death of her husband.
The third generation of the family, including Mirabel, the film’s 15-year old female protagonist, did not exactly experience the trauma but it continues to impact the family. It continues to impact all of the family members because Abuela Alma has passed down a certain set of expectations for her children and grand-children which includes nothing short of perfection.
This is an example of Abuela Alma’s trauma response. Alma dictates the family on how to act and cope. It then restricts how the family members deal with their own problems. As seen in the film, this causes anxiety, perfectionism, and fear of rejection.
How else is trauma depicted in the film Encanto?
Trauma can overlap which makes it difficult to differentiate the different kinds. Intergenerational trauma is not the only kind of trauma there is. In Encanto, we also see individual or personal-level trauma at play.
When you trace a family’s behavior problems, it can help you uncover generational trauma. For example, in the film, Abuela Alma puts a positive spin on the trauma that she endured because it is what led the Madrigals to their village. Similarly, Mirabel tries to put a positive spin on the fact that she was never blessed with any magical gifts like the rest of their family members. It mirrors Alma’s actions. There is a facade that everything is okay, but both characters are experiencing internal grief.
How do people cope with multigenerational trauma?
There are different types of trauma coping mechanisms, and Encanto reflects many of them.
Denial
Denial occurs when a person refuses to acknowledge their trauma. You may claim that everything is fine and that what happened in the past is in the past. You do not wish to see how your past informs your present.
In Encanto, we see both Alma and Mirabel deny their traumatic experiences. Mirabel even bravely states that she is as special as the rest of her family without a gift. One of the village children responds with: “Maybe your gift is being in denial.”
This quite directly shows how Mirabel has pushed her trauma into the shadows of her life, refusing to acknowledge it.
2. Withdrawal
If you retreat from life because you do not feel safe, you are withdrawing. You may no longer go to social functions or even do small social errands, like running to the grocery store.
We can see this in the film with Bruno, a family member whose gift is to see into the future, who retreats from his family. The family disliked Bruno because his power caused him to speak truths that they did not want to hear. This can understandably be a traumatic event for Bruno, making him feel like he did not fit in with his family.
While this is unhealthy, it could also be a way that people cope with trauma in order to move on with their lives.
3. Attacking others
You may express anger towards others when you feel traumatic feelings arising. You may become emotionally, verbally, and/or physically abusive.
Abuela Alma is often on the defense with Mirabel. She isolates Mirabel from the rest of the family and views her as less than because she does not possess power.
As the movie progresses, it becomes obvious that Alma views Mirabel as a threat to the family’s magic. This especially comes out when Alma verbally attacks Mirabel, blaming her for the family’s issues.
Alma is afraid that Mirabel will point out the family’s flaws, shedding light on the family’s problematic tendencies, like not asking for help when needed and a pattern of mental health problems such as anxiety.
4. Self-blame
Shame and unworthiness are some feelings that can arise after a traumatic incident if you are blaming yourself. You may feel like you are not good enough and no one can love you if you are not perfect.
In the song “Surface Pressure”, Mirabel’s sister, Luisa, describes this. Luisa’s power is her strength and she assists her community through this; however, it has taken its toll on her and manifests as anxiety.
Luisa continues to work even though it will most likely lead to burnout and only produce more anxiety. In the song, Luisa even sings “I’m pretty sure I’m worthless if I can’t be of service.” Her identity is deeply tied to her work. Without it, she loses a sense of herself.
How does multigenerational trauma healing work?
In Encanto, the family heals their intergenerational trauma by discussing their issues and repairing their home. Healing seems straight-forward in the film and, unfortunately, the majority of the time, it is not like that in reality.
If you believe you and your family are struggling with generational trauma, speaking to a trauma therapist is the first step. Simply, generational trauma is healed in an environment where additional trauma does not occur. Even with continuing stressors, multigenerational trauma can be healed.
Trauma counseling can provide you with:
Basic knowledge of trauma
Trauma responses
Healthy coping mechanisms
And more!
Trauma informed therapy will also allow family members to understand that intergenerational trauma can impact family members who did not personally experience the traumatic event. This understanding is a crucial foundation for healing from generational trauma. It also prevents future intergenerational trauma.
Overall, Encanto is a beautiful film that shows some not-so-beautiful parts of life, like multigenerational trauma and toxic family dynamics. The family is relatable, and many people resonated with the movie. The movie shows the impact of generational trauma and, more importantly, offers hope to families currently going through it that you can make it out on the other end and lead a healthier life.
Victoria Scala
is the Social Media Manager and Intake Coordinator at Anchor Therapy in Hoboken, New Jersey. She is a graduate of the Honors College of Rutgers University-Newark, planning to study Clinical Mental Health Counseling at the graduate level. As a Social Media Manager at Anchor Therapy, Victoria is committed to producing content for and managing the office’s social media presence and blog.
