Eur J Psychotraumatol
November 12, 2025
Guy Simon, Maya Gal-Birman, Nir Tadmor et al.
5 citations
This qualitative study explores how survivors of the Nova festival massacre experienced collective trauma and the potential role of psychedelics in their recovery. The research identifies multisystemic resilience and recovery pathways, suggesting that psychedelic experiences may facilitate emotional processing, meaning-making, and post-traumatic growth among survivors. The findings indicate that psychedelics can support healing from collective trauma by enhancing psychological health, resilience, and a sense of connection, though the study emphasizes the need for careful integration within therapeutic and community contexts.
Journal of psychopharmacology (Oxford, England)
May 1, 2026
Guy Simon, Maya Gal-Birman, Nir Tadmor et al.
In the October 7, 2023, attack at the Nova rave, 45 survivors were interviewed using a mixed-methods phenomenological design. Participants used classic psychedelics (24), empathogens (19), or ketamine (2). A dissociative phenomenon termed "adaptive psychedelic dissociation" emerged, combining emotional detachment, derealization, depersonalization, automatic behaviors, and preserved functionality. Participants' awareness of their substance use created an "epistemic container" that helped contain traumatic input in real time but complicated later meaning-making. Psychedelic effects appeared suppressed during acute trauma and resurged afterward. Substance use had a predominantly positive impact on immediate survival (75%-79%) and emotional coping (83%-84%), but mixed outcomes in aftermath processing (42%-53% positive, 25%-26% negative). This paradox suggests acute adaptive benefits with integration challenges.