Why do I have this fear when nothing in my life seems to really explain it? Why do certain situations put me in a state of disproportionate stress? Why do I sometimes have the impression of repeating the same behaviors despite my will? And what if the answer wasn’t solely based on what I personally experienced?
Epigenetics studies the mechanisms capable of modifying the activity of our genes without changing the sequence of our DNA. Our genetic heritage therefore does not function like a completely fixed program: the environment, stress, certain life experiences, or even our lifestyle can be associated with changes in the way certain genes are expressed.
Epigenetics: When our genes meet our history
When we talk about genetics, we often imagine something definitive.
We inherit our DNA at birth and that would then determine what we are.
The reality is more subtle.
Our genes constitute a basis, but their activity can vary. It is precisely this regulation that epigenetics seeks to understand.
Let's take a simple image. We all possess an immense library of genes. But owning a book does not mean that it will be open continuously. Some biological mechanisms are involved in the transmission of information. Genetics is more or less accessible depending on the context.
Chronic stress, diet, sleep, certain environmental exposures, or particularly significant events can, among other things, be associated with epigenetic changes.
That does not mean that «Our genes decide everything».
This rather means that there is a constant dialogue between our biology and our environment.
Can what my grandfather experienced still have an impact on my life?
This is probably one of the most fascinating questions when one begins to become interested in epigenetics and transgenerational transmission.
Imagine a grandparent who has lived through a war, exile, famine, particularly violent grief, a situation of permanent fear, or a major trauma.
This story obviously belongs to his life.
But a family does not transmit only a name or a few physical similarities.
It also transmits a way of reacting to danger, habits, beliefs, silences, a way of educating its children. certain fears and sometimes injuries that no one really talks about.
The research also examines the possibility that certain very important experiences may be associated with observable epigenetic changes in the offspring.
In humans, this biological transmission between several generations is still being studied and cannot be considered an automatic rule.
But it raises a particularly interesting question:
This can involve our fears.
Our choices.
Our way of living certain relationships.
Our reaction to stress.
But also sometimes our ambitions, our relationship with success, to money, to work, to security or to change.
Phobias, fatigue, blockages, lack of desire: why am I reacting like this?
This is often where the question becomes much more personal.
One can intellectually know that a fear is irrational and yet continue to feel it.
One may want to progress professionally and feel like one is blocking oneself.
One can regularly lack energy, postpone certain things until the next day, or treat oneself to self-criticism. «lazy» without really understanding what is going on behind the scenes.
Is it necessarily genetic? No.
Our behaviors are complex. They depend on our personal history, our environment, our health, our learning, our psychology, and also on biological factors.
The interest of the epigenetic approach is therefore not to look for a gene responsible for each problem.
It’s more about expanding the investigation.
Finding the cause before working on the problem
We often feel like we should start working on ourselves immediately.
Rebuilding trust. Being less stressed. No longer being afraid. To be more motivated. Getting out of a repetitive pattern.
But if we don’t understand what really fuels this reaction, we sometimes risk working only on what we see.
The symptom.
Valérie’s approach consists precisely in starting in a different way: First, look for the cause.
What happened?
When did the behavior appear?
Is there a particular event in your story?
Do you find anything similar in your family?
Why could this reaction have been useful, or even protective, at a given moment?
Once this origin is better understood, the work can become much more targeted.
An investigation into your history before seeking a solution
Valérie Lebelle is a specialist in epigenetics and works towards the meeting between psychology and family transmission and the different approaches she has studied throughout her career.
His work is not simply to ask you to talk about a problem and then gradually try to correct it.
The approach is more like an investigation.
She seeks to understand the possible origin of a behavior, a fear, of a blockage or a repetitive pattern, by observing your own history but also, when relevant, your family history.
The idea is to first understand what it is we are really trying to solve, before deciding how to work on it.
Discover Valérie’s accompaniment →Understanding its history does not mean being condemned to reproduce it.
Being interested in his genes or his family history can give a strange impression:
if some things came before me, then can I really change them?
That is precisely where epigenetics becomes particularly interesting.
It reminds us that our biology is not a script written line by line at the moment of our birth.
Some epigenetic mechanisms are dynamic and our environment continues to interact with our organism throughout life.
That doesn’t mean that therapy can directly «reprogram a gene» on command.
On the other hand, understanding the origin of a reaction, identifying the patterns in which we evolve, and changing certain behaviors or environments can allow us to no longer live our history in the same way.
Epigenetics, behavior, and familial transmission
Can epigenetics influence our behavior?
Epigenetics contributes to the regulation of the activity of certain genes and can intervene in biological responses to stress and the environment. However, our behavior remains multifactorial: it cannot be explained solely by epigenetics.
Can a trauma experienced by my grandparents be passed on?
A traumatic story can be passed on from one generation to the next through many mechanisms: family behaviors, education, silences, fear, environment, or learning. The possibility of a biological transmission The involvement of epigenetic mechanisms is also being studied, but the evidence in humans remains limited and does not allow for generalisation.
Are a phobia or a lack of motivation written into my genes?
Not in such a simple way. A phobia, a drop in energy or a blockage can have many causes. The point is not to choose an explanation in advance, but to look for what might be fueling the problem in the person concerned.
What is the benefit of epigenetic support?
In the approach proposed by Valérie, Epigenetics and family history serve, among other things, as additional reading materials for searching for the possible origin of certain patterns, reactions, or difficulties before determining the work to be undertaken.
And what if your problem was just the visible part of the story?
A fear, a blockage, or repetitive behavior does not necessarily appear without reason. Valérie’s support aims first to understand what is at play behind the scenes, before working on the next steps.
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