How to cope with psychological response to witnessing the collective trauma of war

News of the Russian invasion of Ukraine have been an element many sessions I held these days. It is not news to us, as therapists, that some disturbing aspects of shared reality with our clients find their place in the therapeutic process. It has indeed been more pronounced in the past two years.

Since I come from a society with a complex history of war trauma, in the families of people I work with from all over the region, this topic permeates whenever we touch on the past decades.

Therefore I talked a lot about why these days some of us needed a reminder that we are still safe, while waking up with the news about the war that has started.

Throughout my day, I tried to follow my own processes as well. I tried to be mindful that the news caused a shake in my nervous system similar to the earthquake in March 2020 and that my heart is with all the people who are currently saving their own lives and the lives of others.

Some tips on what to keep in mind when exposing yourself to the news these days posted on my @in.between.sessions Instagram page.