trauma -

Survivors of the Nova massacre on Oct. 7 work through trauma

January 8, 2024January 8, 2024Arsen Mayer

KIBBUTZ HAZOREA, Israel — Fifteen young men and women, seemingly oblivious to their surroundings and to each other, dance around a bucolic field, twisting their bodies to trance music blasting through their headphones. Beyond their earphones is silence, except for the constant rumble of fighter jets taking off from Ramat David air base in the […]

Traumatic events disrupt our perception of time, BIU study finds

January 7, 2024January 7, 2024Arsen Mayer

Being exposed personally or just as a citizen to traumatic events can disrupt our perception of time, according to a new study at Bar-Ilan University (BIU) in Ramat Gan. The article, just published in the American Psychological Association journal Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy under the title “The dual role of time perception […]

Hamas war sparks a mental health crisis of Israeli generational trauma

January 5, 2024January 5, 2024Arsen Mayer

The term “second generation” is very common in Israeli jargon, referring to the projection of the Holocaust disaster and the trauma experienced by its survivors into the psyche of the next generation. Unfortunately, in trauma-ridden Israel, this did not stop there. The foundational break of the Yom Kippur War created another “second generation,” and there […]

Israel sees rapid increase in use of sleeping pills since October 7

January 5, 2024January 5, 2024Arsen Mayer

Is the Israel-Hamas war keeping you awake? You are not alone. Data from Israel’s health insurance funds and pharmacies reveal a significant increase in the consumption of sleep medication, under a doctor’s prescription or in alternative forms. Experts warn that this increase can add to the risk of addiction and damage to the normal sleep […]

National PTSD clinic launched at Tel Aviv University

January 4, 2024January 6, 2024Arsen Mayer

Trauma, as defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary, means “a disordered psychic or behavioral state resulting from severe mental or emotional stress or physical injury.” Beginning with the Hamas terror attacks on Oct. 7 and continuing with Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, the atmosphere in the country over the past three months has been one of […]

Israel under attack: Moderate, mild injuries? Shock? What the terms mean

December 24, 2023December 24, 2023Arsen Mayer

This article was originally published in May 2021, during the escalation in tensions between Israel and Hamas. Thousands of Hamas rockets have terrorized Israeli society in the last week. Some two-thirds of Israelis are under attack and hundreds have been injured as a result of the rockets. When hospitals report that people were treated for […]

From war to work: Mental health suggestions for employers

December 19, 2023December 19, 2023Arsen Mayer

The Israel Institute for Occupational Safety and Hygiene (IIOSH) is advising employers on how to safeguard the mental and physical health of security personnel and reserve duty soldiers returning to their duties after fighting against Hamas terrorists in Gaza. Dozens of police officers and border patrol soldiers have fallen during the war, alongside hundreds of […]

Childhood trauma and chronic pain are linked, concerning study finds

December 18, 2023December 19, 2023Arsen Mayer

New research underscores the profound impact of childhood trauma on adult health, revealing that physical, sexual, or emotional abuse, along with neglect during childhood, increases the risk of chronic pain and related disability in adulthood. The study, published in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology, draws on 75 years of research involving 826,452 adults, emphasizing the […]