This was the question faced by Israeli trauma experts in the wake of October 7, 2023, when Hamas attacked Israel, killing more than 1,200 Israelis and taking approximately 250 prisoners.
In the immediate aftermath of a major terrorist attack, further trauma struck. Tens of thousands of Israelis have been expelled from their homes in conflict areas. Hundreds more soldiers died and thousands more were injured in the ensuing war. Emotional trauma on a national scale.
At the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel’s leading trauma experts have begun work to devise new clinical approaches and train therapists to deal with these traumas.
“These experiences are unlike anything we’ve ever seen before,” said Asher Benn, dean of the university’s Paul Baerwald School of Social Work and CEO of the Halb Child Abuse Institute. Professor Arie said, noting that some children were taken hostage and witnessed the murder or kidnapping of their parents. “The tools we’ve used so far aren’t enough. We need new solutions and new ideas to treat these traumas.”
Ben-Arie says that between 25% and 50% of people who experience trauma suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, complicated grief, or problems with their marital, social or professional adjustment. It is estimated that there is a high possibility of developing problems such as difficulty.
In response to these new needs, the Hebrew University’s Israel Center for Addiction and Mental Health will create a multidisciplinary academic and clinical hub addressing trauma-related research, training, prevention, treatment, and resilience.・Started launching the Stress and Recovery Research Institute. promotion.
The Institute for Traumatic Stress and Recovery provides therapists and trauma survivors with evidence-based practices and techniques accessible through Israel’s public health system to help Israelis combat these immense traumas. It is intended to promote healing and recovery. The Institute conducts research and trains therapists in new evidence-based practices to provide comprehensive, patient-centered, coordinated care.
“This proactive approach will not only strengthen our capacity for timely and effective trauma intervention, but the entire community will contribute to a more informed and resilient society.” says Jonathan Huppert, professor of psychology at Hebrew University.
“Trauma comes in many forms and can be different for different people,” Huppert says. “Not everyone has PTSD. Some people have stress, sadness, coping, and the effects of evacuation. Since October 7th, people have been feeling stressed in general. More negative. They may experience negative thoughts, trouble sleeping, more body aches and pains, and muscle tension. Things may trigger them even more easily.”
Many experts in the field say it has long been clear that Israel needs to improve its overall approach to mental health. Inadequate training of mental health professionals to use evidence-based best practices to treat trauma, lack of integration of research and practice, and lack of public awareness of the effects of collective traumatic stress are doing.
The events of October 7th drew attention to these issues, while adding to the urgent need for new approaches to the trauma unique to this historical event.
The new institute will offer a rare combination of clinical practice, training, advocacy and research, and has so far raised 25% of its budget and is actively seeking support for the remainder.
“We need enough funding to have a stable center that can think outside the box,” Ben Arieh said. “And we need it urgently. We’re not even in a post-traumatic state. This isn’t over yet. It’s still happening.”
After the shock of the first Hamas attack, Ben Aliyeh and colleague Ofrit Shapira Berman, a Hebrew University professor who specializes in treating adult survivors of complex childhood trauma, were kidnapped. Participated in the National Task Force on October 7th to take care of children.
The task force will work with the Israeli Ministry of Social Welfare and other government agencies to train the security forces that first met the abducted children upon release in late November 2023 and to ensure that the children are not re-traumatized during the release process. I tried not to incur it. They also worked alongside their parents.
Ben Arieh and his colleagues understood early on that there were no existing procedures for how to handle child hostages, and that hostage hostages were entering uncharted territory. The task force prepared by watching a documentary about girls abducted by Boko Haram terrorists in Nigeria and spoke to soldiers who had been held captive. Ben-Arieh acknowledged that even this was not enough, and the team is constantly adjusting and updating procedures as they continue to work with children. In the hope that this type of catastrophic event will never be repeated, the task force is establishing pioneering procedures and research that can be used around the world in the future.
The task force has identified six groups of high-risk children since October 7. People who have witnessed serious violence or murder. Newly orphaned children. Children who have lost a parent, sibling, or other relative. Children whose friends and peers have been killed or kidnapped. and children who have been forced from their homes.
“There’s a deep question of betrayal in childhood trauma,” Ben Ali says. “In cases like this, these events often occurred in places that parents claimed were the safest in the world. Parents were unable to save their children. Or they had to make a choice. We have new forms of trauma that we don’t understand.”
“We need to change the field,” he added.
