#war-and-trauma

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fromPsychology Today
1 day ago

The Effects of Media Depictions or Mediaspeak on War

A whole vocabulary of mediaspeak terms applied to real life has gradually emerged. Included here, among others, are: collateral damage, neutralized, canceled, surgical strike, playbook, rules of the game, high-value target, and gamechanger.
World politics
fromSilicon Canals
5 hours ago

Psychology says people who still remember exactly where they were when JFK was shot or 9/11 happened aren't clinging to a date on the calendar - they're carrying the exact coordinates of the moment their understanding of the world was permanently rewritten, and the reason those details never fade is because your brain wasn't recording the tragedy, it was recording the last version of you that existed before you knew the world could break like that - Silicon Canals

Flashbulb memories are memories that are affected by our emotional state. Your brain takes a snapshot when the ground shifts under your feet, and that snapshot includes everything—the smell of coffee going cold in your cup holder, the static on the radio, the way your hands suddenly felt too heavy.
Writing
Humor
fromSilicon Canals
13 hours ago

People who laugh before they finish telling a painful story aren't handling it well. They're releasing the listener from having to respond to it seriously, which is a skill they learned from people who couldn't. - Silicon Canals

Laughter during painful stories often serves as a social cue to ease discomfort rather than indicating healing.
#lebanon
fromwww.npr.org
1 day ago
France politics

Born in south Lebanon, displaced to Beirut, two grandmothers reflect on Israeli invasions

France politics
fromThe Nation
4 days ago

In Lebanon, Grief Is Everywhere. But So Is Our Defiance.

Israel's airstrikes in Lebanon have resulted in significant civilian casualties and ongoing grief amidst historical trauma.
fromwww.npr.org
1 day ago
France politics

Born in south Lebanon, displaced to Beirut, two grandmothers reflect on Israeli invasions

France politics
fromThe Nation
4 days ago

In Lebanon, Grief Is Everywhere. But So Is Our Defiance.

Israel's airstrikes in Lebanon have resulted in significant civilian casualties and ongoing grief amidst historical trauma.
#emotional-intelligence
Psychology
fromSilicon Canals
18 hours ago

The quiet power of emotional intelligence at work - Silicon Canals

Higher emotional intelligence significantly impacts workplace outcomes, with individuals earning $29,000 more annually and accounting for 58% of performance.
Psychology
fromSilicon Canals
4 days ago

Psychology says the people who seem impossible to offend aren't thick-skinned. They decided long ago that showing hurt gives others a map they haven't earned, so they absorb the wound and reclassify it as information - Silicon Canals

Emotional toughness often masks deep sensitivity, leading individuals to absorb pain without showing it, as vulnerability can be weaponized by others.
Psychology
fromSilicon Canals
18 hours ago

The quiet power of emotional intelligence at work - Silicon Canals

Higher emotional intelligence significantly impacts workplace outcomes, with individuals earning $29,000 more annually and accounting for 58% of performance.
Psychology
fromSilicon Canals
4 days ago

Psychology says the people who seem impossible to offend aren't thick-skinned. They decided long ago that showing hurt gives others a map they haven't earned, so they absorb the wound and reclassify it as information - Silicon Canals

Emotional toughness often masks deep sensitivity, leading individuals to absorb pain without showing it, as vulnerability can be weaponized by others.
Law
fromIndependent
2 days ago

Alcoholic lied about heart attack and cancer and subjected ex-partner to campaign of abuse and violence

A chronic alcoholic has been sentenced to two years for 18 months of abusive and controlling behavior towards his partner.
fromIndependent
2 days ago

Modern Morals: My husband has just been let go from his fourth job in five years - I'm running out of patience. What can I do?

My husband has just been let go from his fourth job in five years. The first time it happened was during Covid when he was laid off, but it seemed to start a pattern.
Careers
Philosophy
fromPsychology Today
1 day ago

Competence, Merit, and Excellence Are Social Strengths

Competence, merit, and excellence are universal principles essential for advancement in all human endeavors.
NYC parents
fromwww.aljazeera.com
2 days ago

Endless grief': Turkiye mourns victims of second school shooting in a week

A 14-year-old student shot and killed 10 people at Ayser Calik School in Kahramanmaras, marking the second school shooting in Turkey within two days.
Cancer
fromPsychology Today
3 days ago

When Healing Becomes Harm

A melanoma diagnosis transformed the perception of sunlight from healing to dangerous, reshaping the relationship with mortality and health.
Social justice
fromPsychology Today
5 days ago

Resilience and Reconstruction in Practice

A long-term approach is essential for supporting displaced individuals, emphasizing identity continuity and meaningful work for resilience.
Travel
fromBig Think
5 days ago

The arc of human history is toward cooperation, not division

Hitchhiking fosters deep connections and insights into diverse lives, revealing personal stories and experiences across different cultures.
Right-wing politics
fromTruthout
5 days ago

Trump's Extreme Use of Military Is Stirring a Crisis of Conscience Among Troops

Growing numbers of servicemembers oppose U.S. military actions under Trump, particularly the war on Iran, leading to increased calls for counseling services.
fromPsychology Today
5 days ago

Grief, Storytelling, and Identity

The concept album is a response to the brutal murder of Breedlove's father and stepmother at the hands of his stepbrother. The frame—the first song and the last—of the album is about the murders and their aftermath. But this is not a true crime record.
Music production
Public health
fromNature
6 days ago

How I harness research to inform humanitarian relief efforts

Beverley Stringer has dedicated her career to humanitarian work with Médecins Sans Frontières, focusing on improving public health in crisis settings.
Mental health
fromSilicon Canals
5 hours ago

Psychology explains people who forgive easily aren't weak or naive - they've simply done the math on what resentment actually costs the person carrying it and decided the debt isn't worth collecting, because forgiveness isn't about the other person deserving peace, it's about refusing to let someone who already hurt you once continue to take up space in a body they no longer have any right to occupy - Silicon Canals

Forgiveness is essential for personal well-being and mental health, freeing individuals from the burden of resentment.
#ukraine
Russo-Ukrainian War
fromIndependent
11 hours ago

'By looking in their eyes, you can really see what war does to a person, it kills a part of you' - A Kilkenny filmmaker's journey into Ukraine

Shane Hatton documented life in Ukraine during wartime while delivering aid with an Irish convoy.
Russo-Ukrainian War
fromIndependent
11 hours ago

'By looking in their eyes, you can really see what war does to a person, it kills a part of you' - A Kilkenny filmmaker's journey into Ukraine

Shane Hatton documented life in Ukraine during wartime while delivering aid with an Irish convoy.
#relationships
fromSilicon Canals
1 day ago
Relationships

I realized this year that every relationship I've stayed too long in was one where I had to be quieter to make it work - Silicon Canals

Relationships
fromPsychology Today
6 days ago

Why We Stay in Relationships That Subtly Erode Us

Incrementally diminishing relationships persist due to human attachment to unpredictability and familiarity, despite emotional neglect and pain.
Relationships
fromSilicon Canals
2 weeks ago

Not everyone who chooses a partner with visible problems is making bad decisions. Some of them are choosing people whose damage is louder than their own, because as long as they're fixing someone else, nobody turns the spotlight around and asks what broke them. - Silicon Canals

People often choose partners with visible problems to avoid confronting their own internal issues.
Relationships
fromSilicon Canals
1 day ago

I realized this year that every relationship I've stayed too long in was one where I had to be quieter to make it work - Silicon Canals

Compromising in relationships can lead to diminishing one's authentic self, resulting in a quieter, less expressive version of oneself.
Relationships
fromPsychology Today
6 days ago

Why We Stay in Relationships That Subtly Erode Us

Incrementally diminishing relationships persist due to human attachment to unpredictability and familiarity, despite emotional neglect and pain.
Relationships
fromSilicon Canals
2 weeks ago

Not everyone who chooses a partner with visible problems is making bad decisions. Some of them are choosing people whose damage is louder than their own, because as long as they're fixing someone else, nobody turns the spotlight around and asks what broke them. - Silicon Canals

People often choose partners with visible problems to avoid confronting their own internal issues.
Philosophy
fromPsychology Today
5 days ago

When Leaders Go to War, Their Psychology Goes With Them

Narcissistic leaders often emerge due to fragile egos, leading to decisions that prioritize self-preservation over the well-being of others.
#military-families
Mindfulness
fromPsychology Today
4 days ago

Where the Resistance Lives

Internal resistance to emotions can block creativity and flow, but confronting difficult thoughts can restore movement and reduce tension.
Writing
fromwww.aljazeera.com
6 days ago

Refugee in my own city: Surviving Tehran's bombing, with my cat for company

Sana chooses to stay in Tehran during war, prioritizing resilience over fleeing despite family pressure.
#trauma
Women in technology
fromPsychology Today
1 week ago

Violence Against Women and Girls Is a Multifaceted Problem

Violence against women and girls is influenced by intersecting factors like racism and ableism, creating unequal risks and barriers to justice.
fromPsychology Today
1 week ago

Identity Loss Shapes Behavior Long Before Crime Emerges

Carlos described his return home as a journey filled with memories of familiar neighborhoods and voices, yet he felt a quiet distance from them. Years spent in Tampa reshaped his identity, altering how he spoke and related to others. He recognized everything around him but felt a disconnection, as if the bond between his place and self had loosened over time.
Social justice
Mental health
fromFast Company
1 day ago

'Bouncing back' is a myth. Here's what real resilience looks like

Resilience is not about toughness or bouncing back, but about moving forward after loss and trauma.
Mindfulness
fromPsychology Today
6 days ago

EMDR in a World HyperFocused on Healing

EMDR is an evidence-based trauma therapy that helps reorganize fragmented experiences, leading to significant reductions in trauma symptoms.
Psychology
fromSilicon Canals
3 days ago

The people who talk about their childhood like it was fine but can't remember most of it aren't lying. The absence of memory and the absence of trauma feel identical from the inside until something cracks the seal, and by then the person has built an entire adult identity on the version where nothing happened. - Silicon Canals

Childhood amnesia affects memory retention, leading to a lack of vivid recollections from early years despite having a normal upbringing.
NYC parents
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 weeks ago

Death, displacement and military duties: children plunged into crisis by Middle East war

The war in the Middle East has severely impacted millions of children, causing deaths, injuries, and mass displacements across the region.
Relationships
fromSilicon Canals
5 days ago

Psychology says people who were the emotional anchor for their families rarely experience loneliness as a single event. They experience it as a slow accounting where they realize the support only ever flowed in one direction and nobody designed a return current. - Silicon Canals

Family support often flows in one direction, with one person bearing the emotional load while others remain uninvolved.
Mental health
fromenglish.elpais.com
3 days ago

Toxic relationships (especially in the family or at work) accelerate aging

Toxic relationships can accelerate biological aging and increase health risks, emphasizing the importance of distancing from negative social connections.
#childhood-trauma
Mental health
fromSilicon Canals
2 days ago

Psychology says people who check on everyone else during a crisis before acknowledging their own fear aren't selfless - they learned that being needed is the only form of safety their childhood ever reliably delivered - Silicon Canals

Composure in crises often masks unresolved childhood fears and the need to fulfill others' expectations.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
3 days ago

Reparative Experiences in Relational Trauma Recovery

Childhood adversity significantly impacts adult brain architecture and well-being, but therapeutic relationships can foster healing through reparative experiences.
Mental health
fromSilicon Canals
2 days ago

Psychology says people who check on everyone else during a crisis before acknowledging their own fear aren't selfless - they learned that being needed is the only form of safety their childhood ever reliably delivered - Silicon Canals

Composure in crises often masks unresolved childhood fears and the need to fulfill others' expectations.
World politics
fromwww.aljazeera.com
2 weeks ago

I don't know how we'll emerge from this': How much more can Israelis take?

Years of war have drastically altered Israel's politics, economy, and society, with significant financial and legal repercussions looming ahead.
Relationships
fromPsychology Today
6 days ago

The Surprising Truth About Partners Who Never Argue

Conflict-free relationships may indicate underlying issues rather than compatibility, as open discussions about differences strengthen bonds.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
3 days ago

Why Some People Always See Themselves as the Victim

Some individuals use their experiences of hurt to shape relationships and maintain a central role in conversations, often leading to boundary testing.
Mental health
fromPsychology Today
4 days ago

When Is the Right Time to Start Trauma Therapy?

Clinicians often delay trauma-focused treatment due to overestimating the need for stabilization, while avoidance drives PTSD symptoms and treatment delays.
Mental health
fromPsychology Today
3 days ago

The Secret Advantage of Not Doing It Alone

Social support enhances performance, reduces stress, increases well-being, and can be experienced through imagination and helping behaviors.
Psychology
fromSilicon Canals
5 days ago

Psychology says people who grew up in the 1960s and 70s don't handle hardship better than everyone else because they are stronger - they handle it better because they were never offered the alternative, and a person who was never offered the alternative develops a relationship with difficulty that people who were offered it spend their whole lives trying to build in a gym - Silicon Canals

Struggling is a norm for my generation because we never knew life could be comfortable.
Mental health
fromSilicon Canals
4 days ago

Psychology says people who describe themselves as self-sufficient aren't always describing a strength. Sometimes they're describing the scar tissue that formed where the need for other people used to be, and they've carried it so long they genuinely mistake the numbness for peace. - Silicon Canals

Self-reliance is often mistaken for strength, but true strength includes the ability to seek help and share vulnerabilities.
Psychology
fromCornell Chronicle
5 days ago

Why do people oppose violence and support war? How moral views evolve | Cornell Chronicle

Moral views are influenced by fixed beliefs and fickle perceptions, leading to disagreements and changes over time.
Mental health
fromPsychology Today
5 days ago

When Trauma Awareness Stops at the Hospital Door

Chronic health conditions significantly impact psychological well-being, yet healthcare providers often neglect this aspect for both patients and themselves.
Psychology
fromwww.theguardian.com
4 days ago

Always in crisis mode? You might be catastrophizing here's how to stop

Catastrophizing is a cognitive distortion where individuals jump to the worst possible conclusions, often leading to chronic distress and mental health issues.
Mental health
fromSilicon Canals
4 days ago

The person who thrives during a crisis and falls apart during ordinary weeks isn't broken. Their entire operating system was built for emergencies, and peace registers as a system error because they never learned what competence feels like without urgency underneath it. - Silicon Canals

Crisis-thrivers are often dysregulated, struggling with normalcy after emergencies, revealing a deeper issue with their nervous system's response to stress.
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

Ukraine's Other Battle: Healing the Invisible Wounds of War

With millions of soldiers estimated to be suffering from trauma-related conditions, not to mention civilians, Ukraine faces an urgent question: How will it treat the lasting mental scars of war? Among the emerging possibilities is psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) in treatment of war-related trauma, a controversial yet increasingly researched approach that some experts believe could play a transformative role in veteran mental health care.
Russo-Ukrainian War
Psychology
fromSilicon Canals
5 days ago

Psychology says the people who age most visibly aren't the ones with the hardest lives - they're the ones who never learned to put things down, who carried every disappointment and every grievance and every unfairness forward into the next decade, and the carrying shows, eventually, in ways that no amount of sleep or skincare has ever been shown to address - Silicon Canals

Chronic psychological stress and the inability to release emotional burdens accelerate aging and impact physical appearance.
Mental health
fromSilicon Canals
5 days ago

Psychology says the adults most likely to end up in therapy aren't the ones who had dramatic or obviously painful childhoods - they're the ones who grew up in households where everything was technically fine, nobody was cruel, and something essential was quietly missing in a way that took decades to find the words for - Silicon Canals

Emotional neglect in seemingly fine childhoods can have profound effects, leaving individuals feeling their inner world doesn't matter.
Miscellaneous
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

War as a Psychological State

Authoritarian and narcissistic leaders share a fragile ego unable to tolerate challenge, causing them to experience political opposition as personal threat and deploy military as an extension of their distorted ego rather than as a policy tool.
Philosophy
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

The Secret to Ending All Wars Is the Truth We Already Know

All major wisdom traditions independently teach the same core truth: love your neighbor as yourself, making this the fundamental target of human existence and the antidote to war.
#empathy
Psychology
fromSilicon Canals
2 weeks ago

Research suggests people who feel more empathy for dogs than humans aren't broken - their empathy is fully intact, it's just been directed toward the only available recipient that has never weaponized it, and a person whose empathy has been weaponized enough times eventually stops handing it to anyone who could do it again - Silicon Canals

Empathy can be selective, often directed more towards animals than humans due to psychological and biological factors.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
2 weeks ago

The Impact of Detached Reactions to Tragedy

Detached responses to tragedy lower accountability and hinder empathy, while specific, caring responses promote genuine concern and action.
Psychology
fromSilicon Canals
2 weeks ago

Research suggests people who feel more empathy for dogs than humans aren't broken - their empathy is fully intact, it's just been directed toward the only available recipient that has never weaponized it, and a person whose empathy has been weaponized enough times eventually stops handing it to anyone who could do it again - Silicon Canals

Empathy can be selective, often directed more towards animals than humans due to psychological and biological factors.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
2 weeks ago

The Impact of Detached Reactions to Tragedy

Detached responses to tragedy lower accountability and hinder empathy, while specific, caring responses promote genuine concern and action.
#moral-injury
Mental health
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

Not unique to war': millions of Americans suffer from moral injury. What's causing it?

Moral injury, recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, arises from actions contradicting deeply held beliefs, affecting mental health across various contexts.
Mental health
fromSlate Magazine
1 month ago

Soldiers Need to Understand Why They're Fighting. I Know What Happens When They Don't.

Military personnel experience moral injury from actions they committed or failed to prevent, which complicates PTSD recovery more than trauma from external threats.
Mental health
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

Not unique to war': millions of Americans suffer from moral injury. What's causing it?

Moral injury, recognized by the American Psychiatric Association, arises from actions contradicting deeply held beliefs, affecting mental health across various contexts.
Mental health
fromSlate Magazine
1 month ago

Soldiers Need to Understand Why They're Fighting. I Know What Happens When They Don't.

Military personnel experience moral injury from actions they committed or failed to prevent, which complicates PTSD recovery more than trauma from external threats.
Mental health
fromPsychology Today
1 week ago

Is Searching for Memories of Childhood Trauma Helpful?

Understanding suffering through trauma is appealing but can distract from the need for compassion and treatment regardless of its cause.
Psychology
fromwww.theguardian.com
3 weeks ago

I'm seeing more people in therapy struggling with war-related anxiety. Here's what helps | Ahona Guha

Global events have led to widespread feelings of doom and a sense of globalized trauma affecting societal perceptions of safety and predictability.
US politics
fromemptywheel
2 months ago

Moral Injury in Trump's America - emptywheel

American democracy is eroding toward autocracy, producing moral injury, societal division, and lasting changes that force painful compromises.
World politics
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

The Psychology of Aerial Bombardment

U.S. airstrikes in Afghanistan increased Taliban attacks in targeted villages for at least 120 days, regardless of civilian casualties, suggesting bombing strengthened rather than weakened the insurgency.
Mindfulness
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

Greetings From My Bomb Shelter

During warfare and crisis, focusing on controllable elements like schedules, rituals, and self-care practices provides psychological stability and resilience.
Mental health
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

When Trauma Still Hurts: Memory Rescripting

Memory rescripting, a trauma-focused technique developed in the 1990s, enabled successful treatment of agoraphobia in a patient who refused traditional exposure therapy despite being an ideal CBT candidate.
Mental health
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

How War News Can Affect Your Mental Health

Consuming war-related news increases stress levels, with vulnerability varying by age, emotional regulation ability, and personality traits.
Mental health
fromwww.dw.com
1 month ago

Living amid bombings in Iran: How fear impacts mental health

Chronic exposure to violence, war, and government oppression in Iran significantly increases mental health conditions including PTSD, anxiety, and depression, while unmet basic needs erode social relationships that are critical for resilience.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

When Everything Becomes "Trauma"

Psychological trauma, originating from the Greek word for 'wound,' evolved from describing physical injuries to mental wounds in the late 19th century, with usage tripling since the 1970s as the term expanded to encompass various difficult life experiences.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

Love and Sex in Wartime: How News of War Impacts Intimacy

War exposure through media and direct experience disrupts sexual desire, arousal, satisfaction, and increases distress, while some people seek intimacy as a stress-coping mechanism during collective threat.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

Our Psychological Response to War News

Exposure to war news triggers mortality awareness, causing people to strengthen their meaning-giving worldviews like nationalism as a psychological defense mechanism.
Psychology
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

Attitudes Toward War Can Be Predicted by Psychologists

Psychological factors, including childhood maltreatment and social dominance orientation, significantly predict support for military conflict more than political ideology alone.
Mental health
fromPsychology Today
1 month ago

Navigating the Messy Middle of Disaster Recovery

Disaster recovery extends beyond the initial crisis phase; year two brings psychological challenges including chronic stress, financial strain, and bureaucratic delays that impair functioning and compound trauma.
fromPsychology Today
2 months ago

On Helping Warriors Come Home

For many veterans, returning home marks not resolution but the beginning of a quieter struggle. Despite decades of innovation in trauma-focused therapies and medication, a substantial number continue to live with psychological injuries that existing treatments only partly address. Their trauma is not merely a cluster of symptoms; it is a disruption of identity, moral coherence, and belonging. It reflects lived experience often shaped by early adversity, military culture, and the potentially socially isolating aftermath of service.
Mental health
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