4 levels of Trauma: why it's important to look into them?

When I began practicing EMDR 10 years ago, I believed I was treating an individual’s presenting trauma—Level 1, often referred to as “singular trauma,” caused by incidents such as a car accident, a natural disaster, or abuse by a neighbor. However, as I deepened my experience with EMDR, I quickly realized that many people’s trauma stems from early life experiences.

This is known as personal root, attachment-related trauma—Level 2—which includes early childhood injuries such as growing up in an alcoholic household, experiencing abuse or neglect, or having parents who suffered from mental illness. Such experiences can deeply affect an individual’s sense of self and their relationships with others. This is the type of trauma the Parnell Institute specializes in, and I’m grateful to have learned their techniques.

Then, while working with clients suffering from attachment injuries, I discovered that many of them carried “pain” that wasn’t directly their own, but rather stemmed from their parents' unresolved trauma. This is known as Level 3: introjected parental trauma, where children unconsciously absorb and live in their parents’ pain. Dr. Mark Brayne helped me understand this third level and develop advanced EMDR strategies for addressing intergenerational trauma.

There is also what’s called collective root trauma—Level 4—which encompasses trauma stemming from cultural or historical experiences such as war or slavery.

With these four levels in mind, I make it a priority to carefully assess each client and create a treatment plan tailored to their unique needs. I strive to select the most appropriate therapeutic approach rather than applying EMDR mechanically to all trauma. In the early stages of therapy, I usually avoid exploring Levels 2–4 unless the client demonstrates strong resilience and confidence in the therapeutic process. That said, many clients feel relief when they discover that some of their deep fear or shame did not originate with them, but rather from intergenerational trauma.