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Psychedelics and collective trauma: multisystemic resilience and recovery pathways among Nova festival survivors – a qualitative study

Guy Simon,Maya Gal-Birman,Nir Tadmor,Demian Halperin,Ziv Ben-Zion

Published 2025 in European Journal of Psychotraumatology

ABSTRACT

ABSTRACT Objective: On 7 October 2023, a mass-casualty attack at the Nova festival in Israel created an unprecedented convergence of collective trauma and altered states of consciousness. Many survivors were under the influence of psychedelics or other psychoactive substances at the time of the attack. This study explored how survivors made sense of and navigated recovery, with a focus on relational, community, and cultural processes. Method: We conducted semi-structured interviews with 45 Israeli survivors (25 male, 20 female), recruited through a nonprofit organization that provides trauma support. All participants had been under the influence of at least one psychoactive substance during the attack and were engaged in psychological support afterward. Data were analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis (Braun & Clarke [2019]. Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 11(4), 589–597) with a phenomenological orientation to lived experience. Reflexivity was supported by journaling, peer debriefing, and a positionality statement. Results: Two interrelated recovery pathways emerged from survivors’ narratives: (1) Interpersonal and Therapeutic Supports (psychotherapy, therapeutic alliance, and peer solidarity) and (2) Collective Healing Practices (grassroots initiatives, community rituals, and culturally meaningful commemorations). Conclusions: Recovery from the Nova attack appears to be rooted in multisystemic and culturally significant contexts. In fact, psychedelic experiences became part of survivors’ trauma stories not in isolation but when supported by therapeutic, peer, and community frameworks. These findings underscore the importance of culturally sensitive, system-level approaches to collective trauma recovery and emphasize the need for trauma services that incorporate community-led care and nonjudgmental engagement with altered states of consciousness. HIGHLIGHTS Recovery after the Nova attack unfolded through multisystemic processes rather than individual coping alone, with Interpersonal and Therapeutic Supports (psychotherapy, therapeutic alliance, and peer solidarity) and Collective Healing Practices (grassroots initiatives, community rituals, and culturally meaningful commemorations) being central to adaptation. Psychedelic experiences were integrated, not isolated; they gained therapeutic meaning when held within supportive, culturally resonant contexts. Implications: trauma services should engage peer/community resources and adopt non-judgmental, psychedelic-informed practices where relevant.

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