What happens to our minds when exposed to scenes of violence in Gaza? Reasons for “the habit of dying”
When the Gaza war began last October, many people had difficulty following the scenes of violence and horrific images that spread almost everywhere, from various social media outlets to television channels and others. The horrifying footage coming from the Palestinian Strip became the talk of the whole world.
Jana – a university student in social sciences and communication in Lebanon – says that at the beginning of the war, she was unable to open her “X” application, due to the spread of painful scenes. She explains: “My phone became a means of feeling guilt and fear… I did not browse the (X) website. ) For about 20 days after the start of the war, due to the spread of footage showing dead children… or displaced Palestinians amidst the destruction… I could not bear all these images, so I decided to stay away from them, because of my feeling of being unable to change anything.”
But she adds that she quickly returned to using the application after about a month, explaining: “As the war extended, and amidst seeing painful pictures and videos everywhere, I felt that returning to the application was natural; Because shots are unavoidable…and the brain gets used to them over time, unfortunately…this is the case for many people, I think.”
Palestinians inspect destroyed buildings after an Israeli air strike at night on the Rafah refugee camp (AFP)
Getting used to helplessness
Clinical psychotherapist Rita Maria Hawila explains this psychological process in her interview with Asharq Al-Awsat, saying: “All the snapshots and scenes in our daily lives that we see and encounter several times eventually become normal, and this is the reason why children who spend hours in front of violent video games become accustomed to… On killing and destruction… This is why people who are exposed to domestic violence also adapt to it, and live with problems that push them to use force and cruelty as a way of life.”
Hawila continues to explain the issue with another example from a study previously conducted on dogs. She continued: “Several dogs were placed inside a cage and given electric shocks. At first the dogs tried to escape from the cage; But she couldn’t do that. After a period of the experiment, the dogs themselves were given electric shocks, but this time the experimenters opened the cage door, and ironically, the dogs did not think about escaping. The idea here is related to habit and the feeling of helplessness.”
Hawila gave this example to explain to us that, like all creatures, we adapt to our surroundings and to the circumstances to which we are subjected, which is a dangerous matter. She says: “We have an endurance capacity for suffering the more we are exposed to it; “The brain secretes substances that help it become convinced that what is happening around it is normal and must be lived with.”
Based on this, Hawila stresses the importance of speaking about the issue more and more openly, and discussing it frequently. Especially through social media, so that we do not become accustomed to violence and helplessness.
A Palestinian carries a seriously injured child to a hospital in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip (AFP)
What happens to our brains when we are exposed to scenes of violence and loss?
From a scientific and physiological standpoint, Benin Britaa, a specialist in clinical psychology, explains that our brain contains what is called the “amygdala,” which is responsible for sending danger signals to the body and regulating emotions and memories. Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, she said, “When exposed to any shock, the reaction reaches the amygdala, and our brain decides the following: either confront, or not confront, or freeze thoughts.”
Bretaa explains: “Our emotional system is affected, so our body resorts to a process called the unconscious emotional mechanism, which is directly related to forgetting. “Our brain decides that it is forced to forget painful scenes, for example, in order to adapt and complete the work normally, and to coexist, which is a defense mechanism that the brain adopts to suppress brutal and painful thoughts.”
People recover the body of a boy from under the rubble of a house destroyed by Israeli aircraft east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip (AFP)
In turn, Rania Al-Bobo – a psychotherapist and expert in learning difficulties – explains that exposure to painful scenes, amid our inability to change reality, has negative effects, so that the person feels fear, sadness, and anxiety constantly and repeatedly, which in turn leads to an impact on cognitive ability, such as concentration and attention. .
She told Asharq Al-Awsat: “These people can become weak in concentration and distracted, and may not even be able to complete their daily work.” “People who repeatedly witness violence may naturally become more aggressive, and basically stressed,” she continues.
Some, for their part, may react by withdrawing from social relationships and entering a state of depression, Al-Bobo explains. “This affects sleep, and may lead to bad dreams and nightmares,” she says.
The psychotherapist said that some people who were exposed to these scenes suffered from panic attacks and constant anxiety, because their ability to control their feelings was weaker than others, which is normal.
On the other hand, Al-Bobo says that some people suffer from what is called “emotional dullness,” that is, the absence of reactions to violence, killing, and destruction, and this is felt by a significant number of social media users. Especially with time and the many painful images and videos that our minds see.
She adds: “It is a negative thing, leading to what is known as (emotional numbness), such that we do not empathize when tragedies occur, and we lose the ability to interact and change reality.”
Children scramble to collect food aid in Beit Lahia, northern Gaza Strip (AFP)
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli raid on a house amid the ongoing conflict (Reuters)
So… are we really used to violence?
Al-Bobo confirms that it is not normal to become accustomed to violence, and says: “It is not healthy for us to become accustomed to the things we see simply because of their repetition, as happens with the scenes in Gaza.”
She explains: “The matter falls into the category of negative adaptation to events, knowing that violence is part of the human experience that we all touch and live. But adaptation has bitter repercussions on the human experience, so a person needs a more terrifying or dangerous shock or scene in order to feel emotional.
Al-Bobo gives an example of this from the Lebanese reality and what is happening on the border with Israel, and says: “At the beginning of the Israeli bombing of the southern border in Lebanon, we felt anger in the street and tension over what was happening, and with time we got used to it; Then the intensity of the bombing increased, affecting towns inland in Lebanon, relatively close to the capital, which inflamed feelings again. But we may adapt soon, too.”
A man carries the body of his child who was killed in an Israeli air strike east of Khan Yunis in the southern Gaza Strip (AFP)
How do we protect ourselves from “habit”?
With Al-Bobo confirming that getting used to scenes of violence and war is unacceptable, it may happen. She advises people to talk about the matter more, and to highlight the importance of the bodies and deaths not becoming ordinary numbers, and she says: “We must try to raise awareness that getting used to violence only breeds more dangerous violence, and that abstaining from watching does not mean the end of the crisis. We must stimulate our brains by resorting to trying to help in these situations, even in a simple way and in various ways, and with simple movements that satisfy us psychologically, so that we are not convinced that we are unable to actually change.
2024-02-28 06:33:45
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