Reflections after 15 months of war

Knowing there is suffering on a global scale, while holding in mind what I know as a therapist, about trauma, healing, and reparation

Abstract

Personal narratives help shape therapists, and their narratives are the lenses through which they see the world. The legacy of intergenerational war trauma is one such lens. Lenses and personal narratives are foundational to building knowledge and understanding, of events on a small and large scale, and this is a soft power of influence to be shared. Many therapists have lived experience of mental health difficulties, and consequently they are not immune from what they study.

Social realities are co-constructed, and we are all active participants in building peaceful alternatives for generations to come. An agenda of nationalism is being forcefully applied in the Middle East, and this is triggering for anyone with lived experience of conflict which includes intergenerational trauma. I argue that there is a need to remain vigilant to the impact of global conflict, in personal, professional, and political spheres of life.