But the main concern for clinicians and school administrators, and community leaders after the Sept. 10, 2025, university killing of Charlie Kirk isn’t whether trauma will appear, because it will, but how to minimize PTSD development while supporting long-term recovery.

Who is at risk?

The extent of trauma exposure determines PTSD risk levels because it depends on how close people were to the event and how intense and significant the experience was for them. Someone doesn’t need to be at an event to suffer, and I would suspect that some are still suffering the effects of viewing the events in Ohio, where students were killed by National Guardsmen.

A survey of 10,000 U.S. adults indicated that 7% of participants had experienced a mass shooting firsthand and 2% had suffered physical injuries during such incidents. The research, however, suggests that younger people face greater danger than older individuals and that exposure rates differ between male and female participants and even between different racial groups.

The numbers would seem to advise that individuals should receive screening tests following major public violence incidents. How we would do that and how far-reaching it would need to be is the question. Barring such monitoring means that people will suffer with the disorder in silence because they will not be in the pool being assessed for it. In fact, they may not even know that they are experiencing vicarious PTSD.

It’s not a question of being at the spot of the trauma. The study and conclusions underscore the danger of viewing violent events through the media multiple times, which can lead to stress symptoms. Experts are expressing a concern that gun-violence exposure affects two-thirds of U.S. adults through direct contact and media exposure, while demonstrating significant racial and gender differences. They believe that research is proving that media violence exposure can cause psychological damage to students who frequently watch violent video clips.

Even the professionals who help others should expect to develop secondary traumatic stress, too, according to clinicians. The 2025 research study about therapists working through mass violence events showed that their burnout and distress levels rose because of their work with grieving clients, which created an impact that weakened the essential recovery workforce.

What should the immediate response look like?

The initial response period focuses on establishing safety while providing stabilization, practical help, and emotional connection rather than forcing people to deal with the traumatic event. The National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) and National Center for PTSD provide field guides that support Psychological First Aid (PFA) as the evidence-based approach for handling disasters and violent situations. The PFA-Schools model from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN) helps schools to provide the Psychological First Aid program to their students and staff members who experienced the event directly or are mourning its loss.

Multiple guidelines and summarized reviews demonstrate that mandatory psychological debriefing for unscreened groups should be avoided because it produces no PTSD prevention and potentially creates additional symptoms in some individuals. The evidence shows that this approach fails to stop PTSD development and actually may create additional symptoms in particular cases. The recommended approach involves a stepped care model, which involves normalizing typical responses while conducting ongoing screenings to direct affected individuals to trauma-focused treatment when their symptoms persist and cause impairment.

A 2025 SAMHSA roadmap provides universities with operational trauma-sensitive approaches to handle mass violence through memorial services and anniversary management, spiritual leader support, and mental health emergency response planning. The combination of academic requirements, public service obligations, and ceremonial activities in universities makes this approach particularly important for their settings.

Screening, timing, and differential trajectories

Not everyone who experiences traumatic events will develop PTSD. Most individuals go through short-term stress reactions that resolve within a few weeks. The first step in evidence-based treatment involves specific screening tests conducted at two to four weeks and again at six to eight weeks for those with high levels of exposure, using the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 for self-assessment and the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for diagnostic interviews. These tools are standard in clinical practice because they have strong psychometric properties and include updated guidelines for healthcare providers.

The assessment process should focus closely on students and staff members who have experienced past trauma, lack social support, and face ongoing threats at the exact location. It should also consider those showing functional problems such as classroom panic, sleep disturbances, and campus avoidance. Supervisors of providers, too, need to monitor their workloads and offer structured supervision to prevent secondary traumatic stress from developing in their staff members.

The 2025 American Psychological Association (APA) guideline identifies individual trauma-focused psychotherapies as the first-line treatments for patients. The recommended first-line treatments for adults with PTSD symptoms include Prolonged Exposure (PE) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), and Eye-Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). The most successful protocol is highly dependent on the individual’s needs and ability to respond. There is no one-size-fits-all here, as in anything else.

The primary treatment for early intervention may not be medication, but it serves as a secondary option. Clinical practice guidelines support using specific SSRIs/SNRIs for PTSD patients who can’t access psychotherapy or refuse it, or who need additional treatment. Still, there is no solid evidence for using these medications as a preventive measure after trauma, and propranolol has not been viewed as standard prevention.

The most effective school-based interventions for children and adolescents who attend college part-time (dual-enrollment students and teen attendees) involve family-inclusive CBT approaches. Debriefing of young people is strictly prohibited under current guidelines.

Communal grief and polarization

The act of public assassination creates dual effects on trauma responses because it combines moral harm with political affiliation. The clinical presentation of patients includes anger, cynicism, and withdrawal behavior when they experience hostile online interactions. Research on collective and occupational trauma shows that structured peer support, together with clear institutional values and guided meaning-making processes, helps reduce distress among professionals who work with trauma victims. Universities should implement transparent safety updates, low-stimulation memorial areas, and voluntary small-group support sessions with trained facilitators, rather than conducting large-scale “processing” events.

There are steps outlining practical actions that universities and mental health professionals should take. What are the researchers and the professionals recommending? Here is a preliminary list:

1) Map exposure tiers. The assessment process should identify three groups of people: those who experienced the event directly, those who witnessed it from a distance, and first responders, family members, friends, and staff members who faced high exposure. The outreach process should use specific approaches instead of sending general invitations to all people.

2) Establish PFA (psychological first aid) services, which should become available within 24 to 72 hours after the event. The program should provide quiet spaces, assistance with transportation and housing adjustments, and educational materials about typical reactions and resources.

3) Screen and proceed. The PCL-5 screening tool should be administered to exposed groups between 2 and 4 weeks after the event, followed by referrals to PE, CPT, or EMDR therapy with trained therapists for those experiencing persistent impairment. The CAPS-5 functions as a diagnostic tool for both standard and complex cases.

4) The practice of mandatory debriefing sessions should be avoided, and the organization should replace single-session “venting” events with brief skills-based support sessions. These programs teach breathing techniques, sleep hygiene, and grounding methods, and establish clear paths to therapy access.

5) Support the helpers. The organization should establish monitoring systems that provide clinicians and staff members with supervision to prevent secondary traumatic stress and burnout.

6) Plan for anniversaries. The team should prepare for increased symptoms during the first month and first year after the event by scheduling communication plans, memorial services, and clinical support services.

The treatment of survivors who witness public killings requires more than one established protocol to reduce their suffering. The past ten years of PTSD research give universities, clinicians, and communities clear guidance: first, stabilize patients; then, conduct careful screening; and finally, apply trauma-focused treatment when necessary, while avoiding ineffective methods. Combining disciplined compassion with evidence-based practices helps survivors heal, supports helpers in maintaining their endurance, and allows communities to remember without being overwhelmed by it.

We are living in a world that is transformed from that of our parents, and we must adapt to this change. It is unlikely that there will be a cessation of community violence, given the widespread rhetoric that appears to underpin much of it. What can we do? Provide fact over fiction, utilize our critical thinking skills, and maintain our sense of hopefulness.

The post The Trauma of Witnessing Charlie Kirk’s Murder and PTSD appeared first on Medika Life.

Recently, on my way to a very important breast cancer follow-up appointment that I anxiously drove to while phone-negotiating to keep–20 minutes after the arrival time–I had the revelation that perhaps I was not the “loser-late-guy” I had come to see myself as; rather, it occurred to me that a deeper issue brewed all these years over that has lead to me to do everything but be on time to my appointments.

While on the way back home (I was informed I had to reschedule again) just a few minutes of doing something I call *symptom “source-searching” (trudging through feelings and thoughts to back-travel to the real reasons I think or do things) helped to reveal what was causing my avoidance of being on time.

To my surprise and some grief in acknowledging it, the answer was a trauma response.

I “saw” that I had been operating in flight (not fight) mode to something I saw as a threat to my personal autonomy and voice–adhering to others’ demand for me to be somewhere when they told me to be there–I was vaguely aware that I felt this way, but not cognizant of why and how deeply I felt the need to protect myself from the feeling of extreme vulnerability I felt when attempting to “conform” to society’s definition of punctuality.

To others, this may sound silly or dismissive of ‘character-related’ habitual tardiness, until you consider how autonomy, choice, and identity are removed in abuse experiences.

Being late had been the endeavor of one of my protective selves (IFC) to put a “distance” between me and those who expected punctuality from me in a misguided effort to establish personal dominance and openly exert my freedom in personal choice.

For many years I have had no idea that I was trying to preserve my self by not conforming (as I saw it, unconsciously) to the requirement of being relied upon in this way, seemingly because I felt generally that I could not rely on myself in this way (or many others)–a testament to the extreme self-doubt that occurs with sexual abuse and other types of trauma.

The need to self-preserve and protect one’s body, decisions, and sense of safety in every social situation is a constant, simmering issue for survivors of sexual abuse. Most often we are not aware that many decisions. behaviors, responses, and attitudes are at work in us to achieve this.

The discoveries I made after delving into my heart about my chronic tardiness issue have really changed me, although the results are definitely a work in progress.

I am more purposeful in ensuring I am aware of appointment dates and times-historically, I have also been lackadaisical about even trying to remember them all (and there are plenteous between me and the grandson I raise) and I am consciously working to schedule appointments in less of a chaotic fashion–no double-booking-which has occurred often due to the overwhelming volume of appointments.

I have finally begun making a positive stride in punctuality regarding both in-person and online appointments without feeling like I am losing something of myself in the process. I have been on time to half of my appointments!

I am learning to take the lead in this area of my life rather than letting the past dictate it.

This is a hard-won, small personal victory that I hope encourages others to feel safer in examining their own challenges stemming from trauma of any kind and perhaps offer someone the example to work on trauma issues we so often have to tuck away without attention in order to survive.

I still challenge “The Man”, raised by hippie missionaries, and being a non-conformist woman, but I can now feel comfortable in letting myself picture and realize being on time to anywhere I need to be without feeling like my personal safety is threatened or at risk.

The post Could Chronic Tardiness Signal Unresolved Past Trauma? appeared first on Medika Life.

Pre-requisites

Potential clients interested in EMDR will best experience the method when hearts and minds are open to new possibilities. If a client is resistant, the protocol may not be effective.

EMDR is a safe and effective protocol for clients carrying “small t” trauma, otherwise known as the bothersome daily grind that builds up over time if issues are left unresolved or “large t” trauma, such as PTSD or major earth-shattering life events like witnessing a death of a loved one.

These memories can replay within the mind as if the client is encountering the issue for the first time. The client’s body may experience a profound emotional impact as the loop persists with varying sensations and discomfort. The EMDR process is bilateral brain stimulation that allows the traumatic event to be processed so the client can recall the memory safely and neutrally.

The Cleveland Clinic describes the process as follows:

When you undergo EMDR, you access memories of a traumatic event in very specific ways. Combined with eye movements and guided instructions, accessing those memories helps you reprocess what you remember from the negative event. That reprocessing helps “repair” the mental injury from that memory. Remembering what happened to you will no longer feel like reliving it, and the related feelings will be much more manageable.

EMDR Preparation

Clients do not need to prepare for their first EMDR session except for an event to be processed. The therapist administrating the protocol should ensure the client can use the stop signal with the hand if the traumatic experience becomes too overwhelming.

EMDR Template

The following template outlines the activities that unfold during a typical EMDR session. The template is borrowed from the Manchester College of Coaching and Hypnotherapy and amended for the article. While the College has its specific style, there are various ways to approach the process with the same goal of neutralizing trauma.

Trauma Event To Be Processed

As we move through the EMDR template and method, a case study presenting a traumatic event demonstrates the clinical approach, allowing us to understand how the process unfolds.

EMDR Template

The initial stages of an EMDR therapy session entail information gathering between the therapist and the client. The therapist must have already built a relationship with the client rather than jumping into an EMDR session on day one. Establishing mutual trust is a powerful support to ensure the client’s safety and comfort with the protocol.

The following case study is loosely based on actual events and is protected under therapist-client confidentiality. Names are fictionalized.

1. Image

What image or symbol represents the worst aspect of the event? When you think of “X,” what comes to mind? Here, therapists may ask the client if they are looking at the traumatic event through their own eyes or observing their image from a distance — such as a person watching the world go by from the window of a train. If the scenario is the latter, moving to the ‘dissociate’ state in time can be helpful, although reducing the emotions in both states is essential.

Jamie, the client, replays the image of a recent fight with her significant other. She observes herself directly in the fight at a critical point when she feels the lowest.

2. Negative Belief

The therapist will ask the client what words are associated with the image or symbol in the ‘here and now.’ For example: “I am not safe” or “I am stupid”.

Jamie identifies her negative beliefs as:

• I am not worthy
• I am not enough
• I hold no value

3. Emotions

What emotion do you feel when you bring up that image right now? The therapist will want the client to use statements starting with “I feel…” such as “I feel wobbly” or “I feel frozen.”

Jamie responds with:

• I feel disappointed
• I feel longing
• I feel frustration

4. Positive Belief

What would you like to believe about yourself now when you think about that image? For example: “I feel safe” or “I feel empowered.”

After a brief pause, Jamie confirms her desire to feel the opposite of the negative belief statements:

• I am worth fighting for
• I am safe
• I am valuable

When asked which statement Jamie feels the most resonance, she confirms, “I am worth fighting for.”

5. Feeling Scale

Consider a scale between 1 and 10, 10 being the worst and 0 being neutral. The therapist will ask the client where, on that scale, they would describe how disturbing the event feels now.

Jamie considers the question and lands on a heightened response of 8/10, given the traumatic event that occurred the night prior and feels fresh.

6. Locating Body Sensations

As you focus on that incident, where in your body do you feel the disturbance or uncomfortable feeling? This may include size, depth/surface, color, and shape.

At the onset of the question, Jamie struggles to locate where in her body the trauma provides the greatest sensations. She is encouraged to close her eyes and perform a body scan. Jamie feels tension at the back of her neck, shoulders, and above her heart. The therapist inquires which area feels the most significant impact, and Jamie confirms her heart.

7. Testing Positive Statement

On a scale between 0 and 7, 7 being entirely true and 0 being completely false, how true do the words seem or feel when you repeat the words (positive belief), and simultaneously, are you thinking of that incident now? For example, ‘I am safe’. (This is sometimes referred to as VOC — validity of cognition)

Jamie confirms her positive statements, mainly “I am worth fighting for,” is a 3/7. While she wants to believe the positive statement from an intellectual perspective, her body has not yet caught up to the new belief system.

8. Encourage Breath

Therapists should remind their clients to breathe during the protocol. Some people may hold their breath due to extreme focus on the task, and promoting relaxation is vital to a successful outcome.

EMDR Method

With the information-gathering portion complete, the method or practice of EMDR comes into play. The technique entails processing the negative and positive emotions to decrease or desensitize the trauma, thus reducing the heightened emotional response.

1. Process Image and use the Emotion Scale

Bring up the image/symbol and negative words/beliefs. Next, the therapist will ask the client to notice where the sensation is felt in the body. The client will follow the therapist’s fingers with their eyes, keeping their head still. Again, remind the client to breathe. Continue for about 20–25 sweeps of the hand. The therapist completes the sweeps and exhales loudly as their hand comes down.

Note — there are a few aids a therapist can utilize to help a client process the negative emotions. All methods stimulate the left and right sides of the brain.

1. Electronic Paddles — vibrating hand-held paddles that pulse from left to right. Paddles are used in person.
2. Hand Sweeps — hand sweeps in a figure-eight motion across a computer screen or in person.
3. YouTube Video Dot Movement — a video with a dot traversing from left to right at a controlled pace. It is best used with video calls.

When a therapist assists a client in processing negative emotions, the swiping, pulsing, or dot movement is set at a more rapid pace. For example, the YouTube video playback speed is best placed at 1.75.

Let’s return to Jamie. She experiences three sets of 30-second video clips using the YouTube Dot Movement technique. With each interval, the negative image of the fight with her significant other shifts, and the original image gradually diminishes.

Example: YouTube Dot Movement:

2. Gearing: Helping the Client To Reach a Positive Status

Next, the therapist requests the client to recall the original traumatic image and repeat the positive statement. Encourage the client to gently tap or smooth the affected area in the body and continue to do so during the bilateral brain stimulation of the pulsing paddle, hand swipe, or YouTube video. For video use, ensure the setting slows the playback speed to .75.

With each 30-second interval (or however long), the therapist pauses and checks in with the client to confirm their emotional response in the present moment. Has the original emotional response stayed the same, increased, or decreased? The goal is the latter: to reduce the emotional sensations.

There are a couple of ways to perform the positive emotional response technique. A client can recall the original image and keep the positive belief system in their mind, or the therapist can verbally say different variations of the positive statements aloud in a soothing voice so that the client can focus on the bilateral stimulation. I have found the second situation more effective.

Continue the technique until the client feels they have reduced the anxiety sufficiently. Ideally, they will have moved down to a 1 or 2. Next, a therapist will check the client’s belief system or VOC once the ideal positive statement is achieved.

Returning to Jamie, the therapist speaks variations of the positive belief statements in a slow, soothing voice as the client watches the YouTube video with the cascading dot. The therapist gently instructs Jamie to place her hands crisscrossed across the top of her heart and tap as the client soaks up the positive words.

• I am worth fighting for (more attention is paid to this statement)
• I am safe
• I am valuable

3. Process Body Sensation

The therapist asks the client to close their eyes and think about the original memory and the positive belief. The client will be asked to scan their body for uncomfortable physical sensations. Continue to circulate or swipe fingers until suitably reduced. Combine with positive statements.

Please note: it is not necessary to eliminate all negativity as the brain will continue to process the positive emotions after the session. More than one session may be required for the same traumatic image or variations of it, depending on the emotional intensity.

Jamie feels the pain in her heart reduced; however, she continues to feel dull sadness. She continues one more set of the EMDR positive process until the emotional response subsides to a 2/10.

4. Close Session

While there are many different ways to conclude an EMDR session, depending on the therapist’s style and training, one effective way may be to end with the therapist providing a meditation or positive words of affirmation. An example of a relaxation script will be provided in a later post.

Jamie feels satisfied with the reduced emotional response and appears calm and relaxed. The client’s stability reassures the therapist their session is complete.

In Conclusion

The article provides a simple step-by-step overview of the EMDR process from a clinical perspective integrated with a case study of how the client, Jamie, experiences the protocol. By understanding how EMDR works, the general public will become better acquainted with EMDR and the benefits of reducing traumatic events, such as enabling greater personal freedom.

If you live in Ontario, Canada, and wish to try EMDR, please get in touch with me through my website, lisabradburn.com, or message me here on Medium to set up a free introductory call.

The post What Steps Are Used In The EMDR Method? appeared first on Medika Life.

Today, 136 civilians who have been kidnapped are still being held in Gaza by Hamas. Women, children, men and elderly people and the Israeli Defense forces are fighting in Gaza against Hamas terror infrastructures.

The war has taken a major emotional toll in Israel since countless Israelis experienced the atrocities directly or have been exposed to the tragedies by friends, family and the overwhelming news flow. The survivors, their families and rescuers who evacuated the bodies from the Kibbutzim burnt homes and witnessed the horrors and the families of those who has been called to serve and are now fighting in Gaza, and the general population that absorbed mentally the images and sounds of the war via social media and nearly 24/7 news coverage.

The symptoms are diverse and include PTSD, occurring when their life has been on stake, or after suffering severe injuries, stress, depression, anxiety and fear following the deadliest terror attack Israel has ever known since it was established 75 years ago. As a result, the number of Israelis needing medications to address those symptoms has grown dramatically. In addition, nearly 1,600 Israel soldiers who took part at battlefield in Gaza came back bruised not only physically but also mentally and there is a sincere concern that they will encounter severe difficulties coming back to their normal life, both to their work and families.

All those overwhelming events lead to the burnout of the medical staff members at the Israeli Hospitals and clinics that are taking an active part in the treatment of thousands of Israelis, both civilians and soldiers and need to deal with the major flow of patients in an increasing pace never seen before in Israel. To fill this vacuum Israeli innovation enters offering a variety of health technologies such as wearables, that monitor pulse and blood pressure, and applications that manages supply of medications as well as other digital health remote care platforms aiming to reduce the burden on the medical institutions and address the high demand for those services among Israelis.

When looking at the Israeli hospitals as well as private clinics, one immediately notices the diversity of its workforce that reflects the diversity of Israeli society: Jews, Arabs, Muslims and Christians working together as doctors, nurses and surgeons, despite the cultural differences and rising tension across Israel, engaged in the sacred mission of saving lives and providing the best treatment possible.

All are taking care of the Israeli hostages as well, that has been released after spent more than 50 days in Hamas’s captivity and immediately has been brought to a medical checkup upon their arrival to Israel and reunited with their families. A team of psychologists were waiting in advance at the hospitals, escorting the hostages and their families to ease as much as possible their ability to cope with the trauma and memories from captivity, providing consultancy regarding the best ways to handle with this new reality and improve the communication to better understand the patients, their distress and emotional needs as part of a long and complex process of rehabilitation.

For the people in the region, technology and mental health are at extreme proving grounds. How they will transform the future of care will result from these turbulent, terrible times will impact global health and clinical excellence.

The post Israel after October 7th is an Injured Nation Physically and Mentally appeared first on Medika Life.

A more recent and provocative theory suggests that trauma itself, or rather its effect, is somehow “passed” on from one generation to the next through non-genomic, potentially epigenetic mechanisms affecting gene transcription. Genes may be “expressed” or their characteristics noted, or they may be “silenced.”

The crucial question is whether or not extreme stress or trauma transforms genes or their expression or silencing in some way and passes those changes down to children. Lamarck was ridiculed when he suggested that, for example, giraffes had long necks because their genes had somehow been affected (he didn’t specifically mention genes) by stretching up to trees for food and that this produced offspring with long necks. More likely, those with longer necks survived and reproduced (that’s Darwin’s natural selection), but was there an inherent gene selection or something else at work? Now Lamarck is being reconsidered and behavioral change is up for reconsideration.

There is growing evidence that experiences from both parents and ancestors, such as diet, exposure to pollutants in the environment, nurturing behaviors, and social stress, can have significant impacts on an organism’s physiological, metabolic, and cellular functions. Under some conditions, these impacts can be passed down through multiple generations via modifications that are epigenetic (i.e., not based on mutations but on non-DNA sequences). Male and female offspring of defeated fathers show higher levels of various behaviors associated with anxiety and sadness. But what about defeated mothers? If the trauma is transmitted biologically, might the same apply? The research is ongoing.

Work with the children of Holocaust survivors has shown interesting results. Adult children of Holocaust survivors have shown distinct impacts of both parental and maternal posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on glucocorticoid receptor sensitivity and susceptibility to psychiatric disorders.

Researchers are exploring how stress and trauma may make brain changes that will affect future generations. If this proves to be true, then stress and trauma management may need both present and future treatments to address these negative changes before they can affect the lives of children. Can AI be of assistance in designing methods that are more effective in extreme cases of trauma?

If trauma and high stress are subsumed here and affect the parent, will the children also carry markers or behavioral indicators for this change brought about by the parental trauma? It seemed so in the research with the children of Holocaust survivors. The answers are now clear, and studies exploring this connection are vital since trauma is so destructive to many individuals.

Yes, there are degrees of response to trauma, and, therefore, we would expect a continuum of heritability, if we can use that term now, in the children of these parents. Also, we cannot ignore the effects of modeling on children who live with traumatized parents. So, the questions remain many, and the answers are still few and not established in theory, only hypotheses.

As has been shown in multiple studies, vicarious trauma exists and trauma does not need to be experienced directly, and it is here that research might need to focus a bit more. What of the adults or children who “experience” the trauma virtually via video or other forms of media? Even healthcare professional are affected by this indirect trauma. Difficult to prove, surely, but worthy of continued consideration.

I’m not a biologist, but the question is intriguing to me and, I assume, to others as well.

The post Trauma Transfer May Be Possible, But Is It Probable? appeared first on Medika Life.

The mental health trauma experienced by people with relatives and friends in war zones is known, documented, and mysterious. This is true for all people in the region: Jewish and Muslim, Arab and Israeli, Druze and Christian. This is true for all wars. The emotional burden of having loved ones, close friends, and colleagues in Israel living the nightmare first-hand is an undesired outcome of these devastating and horrific days.

But for the Jewish community as a whole – with diverse perspectives around culture and faith – there are unique hot buttons that are tipping points for mental health volcanic eruptions, including anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and, for those like me with family who were murdered or survived the Holocaust or pogroms, a profound sense of helplessness. Watching events unfold in real time before our eyes on social media and the news – while the world watches, too – calls to mind the unspeakable terror and fear of generations, which, for many of us, was safely filed away as “history,” yet is happening again, today, right now.

The uncertainty and constant worry of having relatives and friends in Israel now may lead to acute and chronic anxiety. The relentless concern about their safety can consume thoughts, interfere with daily functioning, and cause physical symptoms. The obsessive need to check social media feeds – with videos from civilians only moments before the Hamas attacks playing with their children during the long Jewish holiday weekend or dancing at the desert Nova Festival Peace Festival – are now remembered in final digital images that will terrorize their families, survivors and viewers for decades.  

Jewish schools across the United States and worldwide have warned parents to disable their children’s social media accounts, if possible, to shield them from anticipated videos of hostages being tortured or murdered. It is difficult for anyone to find a respite from social media with its everlasting digital footprint that draws us back to relive these horrors. WebMD’s Chief Medical Officer John Whyte, MD, has gone on television to counsel all parents on protecting their children from the flood of online terror.

History Creates Communal PTSD

How can anyone with a heart not be depressed?  For Jews, the helplessness is compounded by our history of generations of helpless slaughter and the inability to protect or support family members.  We are a people that, before 1948, had no place to run, no haven, and no possibility of a protective force to rescue us anywhere in the world. 

Many of us who trace our family history using genealogy sites such as My Heritage or Ancestory.com find our relatives were shot, gassed or burnt to ash during the Nazi-led Holocaust.  Many of us whose grandparents or great-grandparents came to America to escape pogroms in Lithuania, Poland, and Russia. Many families were forced from their homes in Spain, Morocco, Yemen, Iran, and Iraq.  We now see those same images of our people fleeing in real-time. It is both infuriating and terrifying. My apartment building’s available space in Israel is now used to house families evacuated from the Southern border.  We live in a “back to the future” daze.

As an American Israeli who served as a paratrooper in the 1982 Lebanon War with homes in the States and Israel, the trauma experienced during the past days sparks well-suppressed PTSD. Witnessing graphic images of violence, hearing about near-death experiences, and constantly fearing for the safety of loved ones triggers flashbacks and numbness. It’s natural to become hypersensitive by continually thinking, “What would I do?” and feeling incredibly frustrated that we cannot respond to the call to protect and defend. I imagine being called upon to defend my home.  But that time has passed.  I sit, watch and wait like everyone else.

One of the most challenging aspects of this trauma is the lack of control. Helplessness can be overwhelming. It can lead to a deep sense of guilt. We want to do more than raise our voices or donate to charities for medical and emotional care – including sending “care packages” to Israeli Defense Force soldiers rallying in response to the massive attack against the civilians.

Half-Hearted Support Adds to the Pain

Right now, friends, family, and colleagues can play a significant role in helping the Jewish community cope. People ask: “How are you?”  It’s appreciated. Others say: “I’m here. I see you. I care about you.” These simple words often mean more than I can express. But in truth, our emotions are all over the place – from the news and absorbing the shock of events, from mourning the dead, from the collective trauma, from fear of the future and a repeated cycle of violence.

The vast majority take no joy in seeing the Palestinian people suffer.  Revenge is not a Jewish instinctive response to violence.  We are a people of hope and ideas – not anger.  Even Israel’s national anthem is titled:  “HaTikvah – The Hope.”

We do, however, feel the acute pain of silence and “whataboutism” – or worse, activists who claim to pursue justice and equality refusing to condemn acts of terrorism, full stop. Like a half-hearted apology, political leaders hedge their bets by acknowledging the terror Israel and Jews have experienced while criticizing the response.  From members of Congress like AOC trying to cover all bases and constituents to professional organizations – even the American Psychology Association – the need to ensure no one is offended can be offensive. Sometimes, the truth isn’t in the middle. And two truths can be held at once. People in pain need to feel distinctly heard. That’s basic communication smarts.

As close followers of the region’s history, the Jewish people have seen Hamas digging up and destroying their people’s water supply system to use the pipes as containers for the thousands of rockets fired into Israel’s cities.  We read how billions of United Nations and Saudi contributions to the people of Gaza didn’t go to build medical centers but toward tunnels.  We feel dismissed by these comments from the Progressive wing we have long supported.  Their ill-timed response adds to our collective pain.

One of the most challenging aspects of this trauma is the lack of control. Helplessness can be overwhelming. It can lead to a deep sense of guilt. We want to do more than raise our voices or donate to charities for medical and emotional care – including sending “care packages” to Israeli Defense Force soldiers rallying in response to the massive attack against the civilians.

What Can You or We Do

What can we do to help ourselves?  Use proven self-care methods, such as meditation, exercise, prayer and maintaining a strong social support network to navigate expected emotional turbulence. Awareness of the signs of distress and seeking timely intervention is key to preventing a natural reaction from becoming chronic. Remember, as the Book of Isaiah states, we are a people, made to be “A light unto the nations.” Continue to contribute and create.

Right now, we are at war with a brutal terrorist regime – one that stands opposed to not only Jews but Americans, Western nations, LGBTQIA+ individuals, and the list goes on. People like to avoid confrontation.  But a response is essential when the Hamas action is so horrific and unbelievable.  We are not victims.  Our history of sadness does not leave us stranded in the past.  We must illuminate hope.

We are in pain collectively.  As I was raised in a home marked and influenced by death – from pogroms, the Holocaust, and wars- I still look to the “mountain from where my help comes,” a generational belief in faith.  But, as a former IDF soldier, I know that sometimes the message of brute force can lead to a next step – peace.  People like to avoid confrontation.  But a response is essential when the Hamas action is so horrific and unbelievable.  We will not be victims.  Our history of sadness has never left us stranded in the past.  It illuminates the hope.

The post Your Jewish Friends Are Not Alright appeared first on Medika Life.

The following was excerpted with permission from Healing Honestly: The Messy and Magnificent Path to Overcoming Self-Blame and Self-Shame 2023 Berrett-Koehler Publishers www.bkconnection.com

Now I get to introduce you to a friend of mine, Anna Holtzman, LMHC, who has helped me so much on my chronic pain journey. Anna is a licensed therapist and chronic pain expert whose expertise is at the intersection of chronic pain and trauma. She is also a childhood sexual trauma survivor, and you know we love survivor-to-survivor wisdom!

A year ago, I was dealing with chronic migraines. At my request, Anna sent me information about how chronic pain works in the body, along with resources like guided imagery and journaling prompts. One of the coolest things I learned was that research shows that simply learning about how chronic pain works can in and of itself be an effective treatment for pain. So many fellow CSA survivors struggle with physical pain, like shoulder/neck/ back pain, migraines, and pelvic pain the way I have. It isn’t a coincidence, and it certainly isn’t our fault.

WITHOUT GETTING TOO PHILOSOPHICAL ON YOUR ASS, WE ARE GOING TO ASK OURSELVES, “WHAT IS PAIN?”

Anna explained to me, “Pain is nothing but a danger signal and triggered by fear. Sometimes the danger is physical, like a broken leg; sometimes the danger is emotional, like emotional abuse.” She continued, “Pain is a danger alarm created in our brains when our nervous systems feel unsafe. This is a process that doesn’t happen consciously, nor is it based on decisions we make.”

There are loads of examples of how this mind-body connection works. If we are nervous about a job interview, having a difficult conversation, or awaiting results of an important test, we may get stomach pains, nausea, loss of appetite, tightness in our neck and back. Or, if you’re me, you get the nervous bubble gut and you’re just grateful to make it through without pooping your pants. We don’t decide to get an upset stomach or back pains during these high-stress experiences; they are things that happen subconsciously.

There are these one-off stressful experiences, “but when you are dealing with chronic stress or chronic trauma, it can cause chronic pain. We can see examples around us, like having a super stressful job, which is an everyday experience, which may lead us to have headaches or back pain most days,” said Anna.

It all sounds too simple, right? Well, that’s kind of the point, she said. “This is all actually very simple. We all intuitively understand the connection between pain and trauma and our mind and body. But we’ve been conditioned to distrust our own knowledge of our own emotional and physical experience. We have been gaslit into believing our emotional feelings are not valid.”

While the world outside of us tells us that physical and emotional pain are completely different things, one being considered “real” and provable and the other constantly invalidated and dismissed, they are interwoven inside of us.

Anna explained, “Physical pain and emotional pain are created in very similar parts of the brain, so the two are inextricably connected. They are coordinated aspects of stress response, so we cannot divorce one from the other, not ever. Even if you have pain from a bone, there’s an emotional response to that from the physical sensation of the broken bone.” I can personally attest to that as someone who, as a kid, all on separate occasions, broke her leg, three toes, one finger, and an arm (from literally, I shit you not, napping on the couch while watching Baywatch reruns and slowly rolling over onto the floor, landing on my arm. Yes, it was just a regular couch.)

Anna continued, “Chronic pain is a result of the chronic tension between the part of us that wants to fight back and the part of us that has learned to be afraid to fight back, probably for good reasons, at least in childhood or before you had allies to support you.”

To illustrate the point, she offered us this prompt:

• First, let’s imagine lots of angry energy inside of you, the kind of fury of fighting back against all that is wrong. Tap into the anger and fury that is a part of each of us.
• Now that you’ve tapped into that feeling of righteous anger, try suppressing all that fighting energy with all of your might.
• What does your body feel like when you try to suppress your anger and fighting energy? It may feel pretty tense and tight in your body. If each of us sustained that for a while, we might start to feel some pain.
• Now that this little experiment is over, give your limbs a light shake or do some deep exhalations to release all that tension and discomfort, because that isn’t a pleasant feeling!

Presumably, if we continued to suppress and silence the natural fight response in us for long periods of time, say our whole childhood, we can see how some pain would start to develop. So this prompt is helping us understand a little better how chronic pain comes from this tension of suppressing our healthy natural emotional selves. Whether the prompt was illuminating to you or not, that’s okay; we have more to learn together!

COMMON SURVIVAL BEHAVIORS THAT CAN PERPETUATE CHRONIC PAIN (NONE OF WHICH ARE ANYTHING FOR US TO FEEL ASHAMED OF!)

In further exploring the chronic pain and CSA survivor relationship, Anna explained to me that there are some common survival behaviors that we survivors engage in that can perpetuate chronic pain.

1. Vigilance and preparing for the threat of danger.
   Many survivors experience hypervigilance as a part of their trauma. I feel I am often on high alert, playing worst-case scenarios in my head as a way to anticipate danger and prepare for ways to deal with the fallout. Do you observe yourself being constantly on high alert? No shame if you do! This was developed for good reasons!
   
   “The habit of vigilance perpetuates chronic pain because it keeps our danger alarm on high alert all the time. Pain is a danger signal, so when we fear we are in danger, our body sends us pain as a message, Anna explained. If we spend a lot of time with our danger alarms going off, this can continue our cycles of pain.
2. People pleasing and suppressing anger.
   Many of us can relate to being conditioned to suppress anger, because if we tried expressing it when we were younger, we may have received explicit or implicit signals that it wasn’t safe for us to be angry. Have you observed any people-pleasing/appeasing tendencies within yourself? Again, no shame if you have! This was developed for good reasons! (Yes, I will repeat this again because it is worthy of repetition!)
   
   “The people-pleasing/appeasing/suppressing anger survival behaviors perpetuate chronic pain in a few ways, including that when we have the urge to fight back but have to suppress it, it is as though our internal gas pedal and brake pedal are being slammed on simultaneously, which causes physical tension,” Anna explained.
3. Perfectionism and self-criticism (I am the best at this one!)
   My therapist says I am the best at criticizing myself for things that aren’t my fault — which also fulfills my perfectionist tendencies, so take that. We can be so hard on ourselves in hopes that it prevents us from “inviting” (we never actually invite abuse from someone, hence the quotation marks) abuse from someone else. Do you join me in having a lot of perfectionism and self-criticism tendencies too?
   
   When I asked Anna how this survival behavior contributes to chronic pain, she explained, “When we are perfectionists and intense self-critics, we are terrorizing ourselves all day long, and that turns on our danger alarms and sends signals of pain within us.” I did a true, honest-to-God spit-take when she said this last one, because it was so real to me that my only option was to hysterically laugh.

It’s no wonder so many of us deal with chronic pain! Look at all the coping strategies we had to develop just to try to stay safe and function in the world as survivors. Those same things can cause us pain. Thinking about all this together fills me up with a deep feeling of compassion for all of us.

HOW PAIN CAN SHOW UP DELAYED FOR US, LIKE A FUN SURPRISE FROM HELL!

A really important aspect of pain for us CSA survivors is that sometimes danger is a present-time threat, like touching a hot stove, but other times danger can be a conditioned response that reminds us of past danger or abuse. We can be going about our days and then get a headache or back pain and not know why, but it could be because we smelled or heard or saw something that subconsciously reminded us of our abuse. Anna explained that this can be a confusing part of pain, especially if we are trying to explain it to people who don’t know what it’s like to have trauma and experience triggers.

“An example I like to use is that when we get near a flame, our body automatically recoils from it because we know It’s dangerous. How do we know it’s dangerous? We aren’t consciously thinking about how fire is dangerous, so we must move our hand. We aren’t thinking about the first time we learned fire is dangerous. We may not consciously remember how and when we learned fire was dangerous, but our nervous system remembers fire is dangerous to touch, so our nervous system is recoiling our hand from the flame,” Anna said.

For some of us, we experienced chronic pain throughout our childhood. For others, we didn’t experience it until adulthood. Sometimes people ask, “Why now?!” to their pain who didn’t experience pain in their childhood.

“Often with chronic pain, we experience the pain when our bodies are safe enough to relax our survival mechanisms a bit and we determine, in a subconscious place, that it’s safe enough for us to fully feel the pain connected to the stress,” Anna explained.

WE CALL BULLSHIT ON THE NOTION THAT OUR EMOTIONS ARE “TOO BIG” TO FEEL

I’ve heard some people imply that we have chronic pain because our emotions are too big, or too hard, for our minds to process, so our bodies store them. When I asked Anna about this, she told me that every one of her trauma teachers has said that people suppress their feelings because they are too overwhelming, and that’s what leads to chronic pain.

“In my opinion, that is bullshit,” I was surprised to hear her say. “I don’t think we are unable to handle big feelings. Or that there are feelings too big for our nervous systems to handle. But rather, it’s that we can’t handle big feelings in isolation. We need companionship in order to safely process our feelings.”

We weren’t born suppressing our emotions. We learned to suppress our emotions because we learned from the people around us that we were not going to receive empathy and companionship with our feelings. Expressions of our feelings were met with silence, criticism, denial, and even punishment. Bad f — -ing things. At the same time, we learned that our physical pain would be taken seriously and met with some sympathy and support. So our bodies brilliantly channeled all our pain and emotions into the parts of us that would receive care and support when hurt. Fancy, smart moves from our bodies.

“We feel physical pain because it has a greater chance of being socially validated than emotional pain, and we stuff emotional pain down because we know we aren’t going to get empathy for it and the world around us has shown us it isn’t safe to process it,” Anna shared. Are there ways you’ve seen your physical pain garner more support and empathy than your emotional pain throughout your life?

The good news is that, as adults, we can seek out empathetic witnesses to our pain, like a trusted friend or a good therapist, who can offer us companionship that allows us to safely express our big feelings.

“Feeling our feelings without the presence of compassion makes our nervous system freak the f — – out because it feels exposed and vulnerable to potential threats. But feeling our feelings in the presence of compassion makes our nervous system feel safe,” Anna told me.

What is most important is for each of us to know we aren’t alone in our pain. “You are not crazy, and none of this is your fault. It is possible for you to find relief, and while you can never prevent all pain, it absolutely can get better,” Anna offered.

I know that was a lot of information about chronic pain and trauma! What kinds of emotions, including potentially unpleasant ones, does all of this bring up for you? However you feel, it is totally normal.

Want to read more? Grab a copy of the book, Healing Honestly: The Messy and Magnificent Path to Overcoming Self-Blame and Self-Shame!

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Now we face the real trauma of school shootings and children doing drills to prepare for a shooting or worse. The contagion effect of hearing about shootings in school can be as traumatizing as if the child experienced it themselves. For this reason, vigilance regarding the potential need for therapy is necessary. There is also research connecting early childhood trauma with Parkinson’s Disease.

A recent article provides some sense of what a drill is like for a teacher:

“I was working in my preschool health office when the loudspeaker came on, but this time, it was not the voice of the school principal, it was the sound of gunshots. I had no students in my office, so I locked the door, covered the glass, closed the blinds, and hid in the corner. I had no idea if this was an unannounced lockdown drill or an active shooter in our building. In the end, it was a drill, an unannounced one. The person running the drill used an app on her phone that sounded like gunshots, which she played over the loudspeaker.”

Imagine how the children would have felt if they had seen their teacher “hid in the corner.” But her classroom was empty. Did she suffer any trauma? I would suspect that it was a more-than-upsetting experience and that even if it has become commonplace, the fear is created and it takes its toll.

Are these drills effective in any way? There is no federal standard for how to run these drills, nor is there any evidence that they are effective when an attack does result. This is pretty concerning.

Another article noted survey data where “Results show that experiencing an active shooter drill in high school was associated with significant increases in student fear, inflated perceptions of risk, and a decrease in perceptions of school safety.”

The Long-Term Effects of Childhood Trauma

Adverse events that can be included in childhood trauma include physical, emotional, or sexual abuse, neglect, problems in the home, and witnessing violence. These events can have a lasting effect on a child’s emotional, cognitive, and social development by molding their developing brain. Trauma alters the normal progression of healthy development and can cause a variety of mental health issues as an adult.

People who have gone through childhood trauma are frequently at an increased risk of developing mental health conditions like despair, anxiety, PTSD, substance misuse, and even personality disorders. Individuals may display symptoms of hyperarousal, emotional dysregulation, detachment, and trouble establishing and maintaining relationships because of trauma.

Using a trauma-informed strategy is crucial for meeting the mental health needs of traumatized people. Providing safe and supportive environments, comprehending the effects of trauma on individuals, and empowering them in their recovery are all key components of trauma-informed care. Professionals can offer holistic care that promotes healing and resilience by understanding the connections between trauma, mental health, and general well-being.

Although the effects of childhood trauma can be severe, it’s vital to keep in mind that resilience and rehabilitation are possible. Individuals can set out on a road of healing and reclaiming their lives through a combination of evidence-based therapies, support networks, and self-care techniques. Those who struggle with trauma-related issues may benefit from therapeutic approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), and mindfulness practices.

The Function of Social Support

The strength of their support network significantly influences an individual’s ability to recover from trauma. Social support, whether it comes from family, friends, or professional networks, is crucial for assisting people in navigating the difficult emotions and difficulties brought on by trauma. The support network transforms into an important tool for people on their way to healing by encouraging a sense of belonging, empathy, and understanding.

A joint effort is needed to remove the stigma and hurdles associated with mental health in order to address the needs of traumatized people in terms of their mental health. We can build a society that emphasizes the welfare of all of its members by encouraging open discussions, increasing understanding, and fighting for readily available, high-quality mental health care. Everyone should have the chance to get better, develop, and prosper.

In a truly people-sensitive society, there should be the opportunity for citizens to work toward improving themselves, growing in a positive direction, and flourishing as a result.

If we are to effectively meet the mental health needs of traumatized individuals, we must engage in comprehensive and integrated trauma-informed treatment practices. This includes, among other things, expanding access to mental health services, educating professionals on trauma-specific interventions, and promoting research and development in the field. By amplifying the voices of survivors, challenging cultural norms, and fostering an atmosphere of understanding and compassion, we can foster the circumstances for a better future.

Mental health is significantly and widely impacted by childhood trauma. The staggering number of shootings that have taken place in recent years is planting the seeds of future mental health issues. It is critical to comprehend a traumatized person’s needs and provide them with the support and resources they require if they are to recover and maintain good health.

By adopting a trauma-informed strategy, encouraging resilience, and eradicating the stigma associated with mental health, we can create a society that nurtures and uplifts those who have experienced trauma. Let’s work together to create a world where mental health care is available, kind, and empowering.

The post Traumatized Kids Are Imperiled Adults in Mental Health Needs appeared first on Medika Life.

Playing games has been replaced with learning to run and hide for your life, and they do this in kindergarten, not just in college or high school. Young children are learning to live in a climate of violence in a place that should be safe; school.

Research shows that the trauma of a school shooting can have both short-term and long-term effects. It can make kids feel uncomfortable and hurt their academic performance, social and emotional development, and mental health. But the feeling of danger that is always present in classrooms where shootings have happened is especially frightening. It’s been estimated that 100K children were exposed to school shootings between 2018 and 2019. No wonder they bulldozed the school in Sandy Hook. They didn’t want kids to go back into classrooms filled with horrific memories.

For children who suffer or witness school shootings, the psychological repercussions can be profound and long-lasting. Children who attend schools where shootings have occurred are more likely to repeat a grade and have recurring absences. “Regardless of whether a shooting occurs in a community with high crime and violence or in a community that is historically safe and stable, school shootings have lasting ramifications for each family and also impact relationships among community members including parents, the school, law enforcement, and local government.”

So, a school shooting has a big impact on the whole community. There is then a sense that they are vulnerable and that something has been lost in their town. A shooting can happen anywhere and there is no safe town because a resident may be the one who engages in the shooting in their town.

Reports say that most people who carry out school shootings have problems with their own mental health. A K–12 mass shooting almost always involved someone who was suicidal either before or during the attack. The majority may also have endured substantial hardship or suffering throughout their formative years.

Children may experience emotional, psychological, and physical symptoms after a school shooting, such as nightmares, resistance to going back to school, headaches, stomach issues, and trouble sleeping. Victims of school shootings, including those who attend the school where the shooting occurred, may first experience feelings of rage, confusion, and fear.

Schools are frequently seen as a “safe haven” in more dangerous locations, which may explain why smaller-scale shootings frequently take place there. When outside violence enters the school, the neighborhood loses that place to gather safely for education and fellowship. But the sheer number of school shootings in areas not perceived as “dangerous,” no matter the socioeconomic status of the community, underscores that it is a soft target for people bent on killing.

Children who experience a school shooting also often suffer an increase in worry and terror. Students may have terrifying dreams, bothersome thoughts, and changes in behavior, like acting out shootings, pretending to die, or doing other things related to school shootings.

Because of what they saw, kids may have trouble trusting people and may not want to go to school. Would any of us want to return to the site of a mass killing where we feared for our lives? Would we want to go there every day of every week for years?

It is crucial to remember that students affected by school shootings include both those who were directly involved in the incident and those who were simply made aware of it. Some have indicated that seeing the media related to the shootings in a school would be sufficient to cause concern and emotional symptoms in a child.

The shootings can have a big effect on how kids act, leading to short-term and long-term problems like anxiety, fear, trouble in school, and being rejected by their peers. In order to help these kids cope with the trauma, it’s crucial to attend to their mental health requirements. In addition to providing tools to assist students affected by school shootings, parents and schools should take action to lower the risk of such incidents.

I recall that in graduate school many years ago, I had to do psychological testing on children in an elementary school in Harlem, NYC. The parents were very concerned about their children. Two mothers seated at desks immediately inside the front doors had to check that I had an appointment in order for me to enter the school.

I signed in, indicated with whom I was to meet, and wrote the time I entered. Then I was directed to the principal’s office where I was given a guide to take me to the appointed classroom. All the doors to the classrooms were locked, so that entrance was only when a teacher opened the door for you. But the doors had windows in them. And that was before school shootings.

But should schools become armed camps with hardened building features and armed guards? Didn’t Sandy Hook have a special protective glass at the front doors? Should children be reminded on a daily basis that they’re going to an unsafe place?

What are the answers and how will we, once again, make school a safe place? The debate continues as the children are killed.

The post Kids in School Shootings Carry the Scars for Life appeared first on Medika Life.

Some of you will talk about tucking under desks or lining up against walls for nuclear attack practice. Families with money and houses built bomb shelters in their back yards. Black and yellow signs on buildings and subways pointed to bomb shelter areas.

We took home large posters from my school that gave detailed illustrations regarding protecting ourselves if Russia attacked with an atom bomb. Yes, it was Russia even then.

We were all issued dog tags with our name, birthdate, and religion on them and always instructed to wear them around our necks. It never occurred to me that they would use it for identifying my dead body in the event of an attack. After all these years, I have no idea where mine is, but I remember wearing them.

Those were upsetting times that students tried to see as common as fire drills, but they weren’t; it was preparation for destruction, disappearing in a flash. We had so little concern (forget any fear) because our teachers modeled the calm behavior that we then incorporated into our thinking. If they weren’t afraid, why should we be, was our attitude. No parents in my neighborhood ever brought up the topic and dutifully hung up the posters as though they were artwork.

No one talked to us about death and destruction, only that we were expected to act a certain way and things would be OK. But, if they were going to be “OK,” why did we need those dog tags or the posters? The question never entered our minds, seemingly.

How many of you sat in your living room with all the drapes drawn, daring not to whisper a word as the local air raid warden made rounds? As a very young child, my family did, and I can still recall, what it was like to have a rudimentary, pump-action fire extinguisher in the hallway outside our apartment in a poorly constructed wooden building. Ironically, the “fire extinguisher” never contained water.

The invasion in Ukraine is disturbing to us adults, but for the children, what is it, and how will it affect them? I heard one little boy on TV say, “They’re going to kill us.” The saying we often use is only the strong survive, but overt survival doesn’t tell the deeper story and any damage done.

Incredibly, some research points toward children being more resistant to after-war effects. “Yet many practitioners recognized that even amidst armed conflicts or recent mass displacement, children and adolescents exhibit agency that is an important resource for coping, adjustment, and resilience.”

But as opposed to wars in the past where the military were the primary targets, wars now are considered low intensity where “under these…circumstances civilians, including children, as well as the infrastructure of the society become targets.” The entire social fabric of society is damaged in its entirety, leaving some of the citizens terrorized. How will this affect the future of that generation and the generation they are raising?

Exposure to war violence is viewed as intergenerational, and its effects may play out in many areas; violence, mental health issues, and physical health. Children enmeshed in the turbulence of a war zone may be desensitized or immune to violence. Can anyone dare to predict how they will be affected?

Much of the research has mentioned PTSD, primarily in domestic situations, but there is a lack of longitudinal study with children and war experiences at this point. We know trauma can affect brain development, and we might conclude that these children could have stunted growth in some areas of their brains, personalities, and ability to relate to others.

Right now, what would seem to be the one thing that may be most helpful for children in these situations? I think it might be what it was during our atom bomb drills; parental reassurance and support, as well as teachers who model appropriate behavior and provide extra help when needed.

We can’t stop unconscionable, murderous dictators, who are more criminal than politicians, but we can help our kids and adults. Continuing to plan for a more promising future, maintaining close social connections, and caring for each other are three means to a brighter future.

Holding a position of hope is one power we retain in the direst of situations.

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