'Your suffering doesn't matter': Harvard psychologist tackles Jews' 'traumatic invalidation'
So for example, I met people that shared stories about how they're feeling unsafe or traumatized, either by October 7 or by what happened after October 7 in the U.S. And responses from therapists was dismissal, or victim blaming, or literally, they were told, 'Well, what do you think is happening in Gaza? How can you compare yourself to them?'
Article content
You can see it also in discussion groups for therapists.
Article content
When my article was posted in the DBT listserv, the automatic reaction of some non-Jewish therapists was 'why are we bringing politics into this?' And the person who posted article said, 'this is not about politics. This is about the mental health.' The conversation quickly went into the dismissal of Jewish pain.
Article content
Article content
One of the pro bono cases after October 7 said she didn't feel safe going to her LGBTQ group. The facilitator of the group started wearing a keffiyeh, and changed the art in the room to say 'from the river to the sea,' with drawings of a Palestinian flag. Their Instagram page called for patients to cancel their appointments and go protest with them.
Article content
Article content
And when the participant told the facilitator that they did not feel safe, their reaction was 'deal with it.' I ended up calling the head of this practice to complain, and to tell them that it's not ethical, because when a patient tells you that you don't feel safe, the first thing you need to do is to make sure they feel safe.
Article content
The other thing is that we had so much data, there were so many examples that by itself was surprising. We couldn't even include all of it in the research to show how pervasive the traumatic invalidation is.
Article content
Yeah, I have to wonder whether, if you exchanged Jew for Black or LGBTQ-plus, whether we would have had the same response. You would not. One of my colleagues is a Black American Jew, and he said he actually experienced more way antisemitism than racism.
Article content
Article content
And they'll say on college campuses, they don't want Zionists there. If they ever said 'we don't want LGBTQ here' that will never fly. But it seems like when it comes to Jews, if we just use a different term, like Zionist, which is modern antisemitism, then it's OK. We don't matter.
Article content
Q: What do you want mental health professionals to do with your research?
Article content
To understand the experience of Jews today; to widen the ability to validate their pain.
Article content
Validation is not always an agreement, by the way. Validation is 'I see you, I understand you, I hear your pain.' You don't have to solve the problem. You just need to be there and be curious. Ask: 'What can I do to support you? What do you need right now?'
Article content
Q; What can the layperson gain from your research?
Article content
Exactly the same thing. I think that's why it went viral. Because it speaks to everyone. Because there are so many nuances that we were trying to put into words in the last two years, and were not able to. And every person that contacted me who read the article said 'I saw myself in those criteria.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
2 days ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Israeli strikes kill journalists and aid-seekers as Australia backs Palestinian statehood
DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — Israeli ground and air strikes hit northern and southern Gaza on Monday, killing aid-seekers as well as others sheltering in tents and homes as Israeli troops prepared for a broader campaign in the besieged territory. Hospital officials reported that at least 34 people were killed on Monday, not including journalists who were slain in a tent shortly before midnight. Among the dead were at least 12 aid seekers killed by Israeli gunfire while trying to reach distribution points, or awaiting aid convoys. Relatives told The Associated Press that casualties included children and an infant. Witnesses to gunfire near the Morag corridor said they saw barrages of bullets and later dead bodies, describing the grim scene as a near-daily occurrence. The military did not immediately respond to questions about the deaths. Earlier Monday, it said air and artillery units were operating in northern Gaza and in Khan Younis, where resident Noha Abu Shamala told AP that two drone strikes killed a family of seven in their apartment. Aid seekers were killed from three kilometers (nearly two miles) to just hundreds of meters (yards) from sites operated by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation, according to Nasser and Awda hospitals. GHF is the private contractor backed by the United States and Israel that in May replaced the United Nations as the territory's primary aid distributor. It said it was unaware of incidents in the Israeli-controlled security zones leading to its sites in central and southern Gaza. The latest deaths raise the toll to more than 1,700 people killed while seeking food since the new aid distribution system began in May, according to Gaza's Health Ministry. Most were shot along routes to distribution sites, but in recent weeks more have been killed near food convoys delivered by the United Nations. U.N. agencies generally do not accept Israeli military escorts for their aid trucks, citing concerns over neutrality, and its convoys have come under fire amid severe food shortages in the blockaded territory. The deaths came hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called reports about conditions in Gaza a 'global campaign of lies,' and announced plans to move deeper into the territory and push to dismantle Hamas. An official who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters said the operation wasn't expected to begin immediately and will take a significant amount of time to scale up. Five more Palestinians, including a child, died of malnutrition-related causes in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the health ministry said. Israel increased the flow of supplies two weeks ago amid such concerns. Still, international experts warn the territory is facing a 'worst case scenario of famine' and aid groups say deliveries remain a fraction of what's needed after months of total and partial blockade. Australia moves to recognize Palestinian statehood On Monday, Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese added his country to a list moving toward recognition, along with France, Britain and Canada. He said his government's decision aimed to build momentum toward a two-state solution, which he called the best path to ending violence and bringing leadership other than Hamas to Gaza. 'The situation in Gaza has gone beyond the world's worst fears,' he said. 'The Israeli government continues to defy international law and deny sufficient aid, food and water to desperate people, including children.' Israeli strike targets and kills Al Jazeera journalists Israel's military targeted an Al Jazeera correspondent with an airstrike Sunday, killing him, another network journalist and at least six others in what press advocates described as a brazen assault on those documenting the war. Officials at Shifa Hospital said those killed included Al Jazeera correspondents Anas al-Sharif and Mohamed Qreiqeh. The incident marked the first time during the war that Israel's military has swiftly claimed responsibility after a journalist was killed in a strike. It came less than a year after Israeli army officials first accused al-Sharif and other Al Jazeera journalists of being members of the militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Al Jazeera called the strike a 'targeted assassination' while press freedom groups denounced the rising death toll facing Palestinian journalists working in Gaza. Mourners laid the journalists to rest in Gaza City. Israel on Sunday repeated claims that al-Sharif led a Hamas cell — an allegation that Al Jazeera and al-Sharif have previously dismissed as baseless. Hamas-led militants abducted 251 people and killed around 1,200 people, mostly civilians, in the Oct. 7, 2023, attack that triggered the war. Most of the hostages have been released in ceasefires or other deals but 50 remain inside Gaza, around 20 of them believed by Israel to be alive. Israel's air and ground offensive has since displaced most of the population, destroyed vast areas and pushed the territory toward famine. It has killed more than 61,400 Palestinians, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many were fighters or civilians but says around half were women and children. In addition to those killed, 121 adults and 101 children have died of malnutrition-related causes, including five in the past 24 hours, the ministry said. One was a child. The ministry is part of the Hamas-run government and staffed by medical professionals. The U.N. and independent experts consider it the most reliable source on war casualties. Israel disputes its figures but has not provided its own. ___ Shurafa reported from Deir al-Balah, Gaza Strip, and Magdy from Cairo. Associated Press writers Charlotte Graham-Mclay contributed from Wellington, New Zealand. __ Follow AP's war coverage at
Ottawa Citizen
3 days ago
- Ottawa Citizen
'Your suffering doesn't matter': Harvard psychologist tackles Jews' 'traumatic invalidation'
Article content So for example, I met people that shared stories about how they're feeling unsafe or traumatized, either by October 7 or by what happened after October 7 in the U.S. And responses from therapists was dismissal, or victim blaming, or literally, they were told, 'Well, what do you think is happening in Gaza? How can you compare yourself to them?' Article content You can see it also in discussion groups for therapists. Article content When my article was posted in the DBT listserv, the automatic reaction of some non-Jewish therapists was 'why are we bringing politics into this?' And the person who posted article said, 'this is not about politics. This is about the mental health.' The conversation quickly went into the dismissal of Jewish pain. Article content Article content One of the pro bono cases after October 7 said she didn't feel safe going to her LGBTQ group. The facilitator of the group started wearing a keffiyeh, and changed the art in the room to say 'from the river to the sea,' with drawings of a Palestinian flag. Their Instagram page called for patients to cancel their appointments and go protest with them. Article content Article content And when the participant told the facilitator that they did not feel safe, their reaction was 'deal with it.' I ended up calling the head of this practice to complain, and to tell them that it's not ethical, because when a patient tells you that you don't feel safe, the first thing you need to do is to make sure they feel safe. Article content The other thing is that we had so much data, there were so many examples that by itself was surprising. We couldn't even include all of it in the research to show how pervasive the traumatic invalidation is. Article content Yeah, I have to wonder whether, if you exchanged Jew for Black or LGBTQ-plus, whether we would have had the same response. You would not. One of my colleagues is a Black American Jew, and he said he actually experienced more way antisemitism than racism. Article content Article content And they'll say on college campuses, they don't want Zionists there. If they ever said 'we don't want LGBTQ here' that will never fly. But it seems like when it comes to Jews, if we just use a different term, like Zionist, which is modern antisemitism, then it's OK. We don't matter. Article content Q: What do you want mental health professionals to do with your research? Article content To understand the experience of Jews today; to widen the ability to validate their pain. Article content Validation is not always an agreement, by the way. Validation is 'I see you, I understand you, I hear your pain.' You don't have to solve the problem. You just need to be there and be curious. Ask: 'What can I do to support you? What do you need right now?' Article content Q; What can the layperson gain from your research? Article content Exactly the same thing. I think that's why it went viral. Because it speaks to everyone. Because there are so many nuances that we were trying to put into words in the last two years, and were not able to. And every person that contacted me who read the article said 'I saw myself in those criteria.'
Calgary Herald
3 days ago
- Calgary Herald
'Your suffering doesn't matter': Harvard psychologist tackles Jews' 'traumatic invalidation'
Article content So for example, I met people that shared stories about how they're feeling unsafe or traumatized, either by October 7 or by what happened after October 7 in the U.S. And responses from therapists was dismissal, or victim blaming, or literally, they were told, 'Well, what do you think is happening in Gaza? How can you compare yourself to them?' Article content You can see it also in discussion groups for therapists. Article content When my article was posted in the DBT listserv, the automatic reaction of some non-Jewish therapists was 'why are we bringing politics into this?' And the person who posted article said, 'this is not about politics. This is about the mental health.' The conversation quickly went into the dismissal of Jewish pain. Article content Article content One of the pro bono cases after October 7 said she didn't feel safe going to her LGBTQ group. The facilitator of the group started wearing a keffiyeh, and changed the art in the room to say 'from the river to the sea,' with drawings of a Palestinian flag. Their Instagram page called for patients to cancel their appointments and go protest with them. Article content Article content And when the participant told the facilitator that they did not feel safe, their reaction was 'deal with it.' I ended up calling the head of this practice to complain, and to tell them that it's not ethical, because when a patient tells you that you don't feel safe, the first thing you need to do is to make sure they feel safe. Article content The other thing is that we had so much data, there were so many examples that by itself was surprising. We couldn't even include all of it in the research to show how pervasive the traumatic invalidation is. Article content Yeah, I have to wonder whether, if you exchanged Jew for Black or LGBTQ-plus, whether we would have had the same response. You would not. One of my colleagues is a Black American Jew, and he said he actually experienced more way antisemitism than racism. Article content Article content And they'll say on college campuses, they don't want Zionists there. If they ever said 'we don't want LGBTQ here' that will never fly. But it seems like when it comes to Jews, if we just use a different term, like Zionist, which is modern antisemitism, then it's OK. We don't matter. Article content Q: What do you want mental health professionals to do with your research? Article content To understand the experience of Jews today; to widen the ability to validate their pain. Article content Validation is not always an agreement, by the way. Validation is 'I see you, I understand you, I hear your pain.' You don't have to solve the problem. You just need to be there and be curious. Ask: 'What can I do to support you? What do you need right now?' Article content Q; What can the layperson gain from your research? Article content Exactly the same thing. I think that's why it went viral. Because it speaks to everyone. Because there are so many nuances that we were trying to put into words in the last two years, and were not able to. And every person that contacted me who read the article said 'I saw myself in those criteria.'
