Psychological consequences – The long shadow of trauma in the Middle East conflict – News


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The current events of the Middle East conflict leave their mark on the human psyche. Images and experiences awaken memories of traumatizing events from the past. Given this, is dialogue ever possible?

“Siren alarms sound every day in Israel and certain areas of the West Bank. The civilian population is very scared,” says Rahel Bachem from the Psychological Institute at the University of Zurich.

Rahel Bachem

Trauma and Middle East expert


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Psychologist Rahel Bachem worked as a postdoctoral researcher at Tel Aviv University and, during her three-year research stay, intensively studied the transmission of trauma within families.

“The people in the conflict areas are currently constantly exposed to a dangerous situation.” In addition, there are circulating images and horrific reports in the media.

WHO warns of psychological consequences for people in conflict areas


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According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the terrorist attack by Hamas in Israel and the Israeli counterattack in the Gaza Strip have far-reaching psychological consequences for the people in the affected regions. Many of the people in Gaza would need psychosocial support. Residents had already been burdened by conflicts and blockades by Israel for years. Many people in Israel are also traumatized by current events.

Just looking at these pictures rarely leads to trauma, says Bachem. However, people’s resilience decreases due to the omnipresent presence of images. This increases the risk of being haunted by nightmares at night after a war experience, of being taken away from the here and now by flashbacks or of developing an increased perception of danger or avoidance behavior – classic symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Nobody in the civilian population wants war.

According to Bachem, traumatizing experiences affect the civilian population’s sense of security. This partly creates a need for solutions and peace. “Nobody in the civilian population wants war.” At the same time, anger and feelings of revenge are reactions to current events. The fronts are hardening and mutual mistrust is being fueled. A dialogue seems far away.

Two young men in the rubble of a destroyed house.

Legend:

The Middle East conflict, which has been simmering for 70 years, is causing a lot of trauma among the civilian population.

Keystone/Doaa Albaz

In addition, every trauma has the potential to be passed on to the next generation. “Trauma is sometimes passed on in the womb via biological processes. The interaction between parents and children is also essential for passing it on to the next generation.”

In raising children, the way in which trauma is talked about is central. Communication with explicit descriptions that is not age-appropriate and unfiltered can have a damaging effect on children’s psyches.

A mother and child in a stroller look at a memorial made of teddy bears blindfolded in Tel Aviv.

Legend:

Each teddy bear at this memorial in Tel Aviv represents a child believed to be being held hostage in Gaza.

Reuters/JANIS LAIZANS

On the other hand, making what happened taboo could also cause children to imagine terrible things and imagine scenes vividly. “Children still perceive the horror. If parents always tell you to be careful, it shapes the children’s worldview.

Bachem tells the example of an ex-soldier in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Horrible experiences during his service traumatized him. The consequences of the trauma were now evident in the ex-soldier’s family life: the father had difficulty letting relatives and friends near the family. His children also now had a high level of distrust of other people.

Therapy of individual trauma


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When people have developed PTSD, trauma therapy can help overcome it. This attempts to integrate the trauma into one’s own life story. You learn to endure the memories and stop avoiding them.

Trauma therapy that promotes individual health can sometimes be a prerequisite for promoting social change. Especially when it comes to changing an individual’s view of the world. Do I feel the world is a safe place? Or could something bad happen to me unforeseen? Are people generally well-disposed toward me? In psychology, these questions are referred to as world assumptions.

Traumatized people generally have a more negative image of the world. The trauma therapy program is a reflection on these individual world assumptions.

Similar to individual trauma, collective trauma can also be passed on. A collective trauma is a mass traumatization of many individuals, such as during the Holocaust or the Nakba (literally translated as “catastrophe” – this is how Palestinians describe the expulsion after the founding of the state of Israel). People who feel like they belong to the same group are also traumatized by an event. This trauma influences ways of thinking or discourse. According to Bachem, the conflict cannot be resolved purely through trauma processing. Politics also has to pull its strings.

Coming to terms with collective trauma


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Nora Refaeil is a mediator and expert on the subject of coming to terms with the past and reconciliation processes. She teaches at the University of Basel and follows, among other things, the approach of so-called transitional justice. This highlights the transition process between war and peace and aims to deal with crimes from a violent past.

“Political negotiations are needed for a political solution to the conflict. Dialogue is needed for peace,” writes Refaeil when asked by SRF. However, the dialogue often does not take place at the government level, but at the civil society level or between local communities and groups. Peace processes benefited from this exchange between all these levels. “It’s about a dialogue about the realities of people, their interests and needs, but above all about a dialogue about a shared, secure future.” According to Refaeil, this debate and what comes out of it also contribute to the legitimacy and sustainability of the policy. “Dialogue is diametrically opposed to violence.”

All wars are associated with immeasurable suffering for the population. “This suffering and fear then manifests itself in the collective trauma that shapes people’s lives for generations.” Coming to terms with the past, particularly through the format of dialogue, allows us to deal with the trauma and find possible ways to deal with it. To ensure that these past crimes are not repeated, serious human rights crimes must be dealt with socially and politically. One way to do this is through transitional justice, which takes a critical look at issues such as (criminal) accountability, reparations, finding the truth and institutional reforms.

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