This article uses two paradigmatic case studies to build on the theories of intergenerational and collective trauma to argue that dissociation should be a key target of prevention strategies for gender-based violence. To illustrate this point, we draw on the life histories of two Australian grandmothers, Kylie and Louise, who described how abuse in early childhood shaped their experiences of violence in adulthood, which in turn impacted their children and, consequently, their grandchildren.