Music festival survivors, victims' relatives discuss PTSD, substance abuse, mental health effects

Survivors and relatives of those murdered at the Nova, Mushroom, Psyduck, and Midburn music festivals during the October 7 massacre met during a conference in Tel Aviv Port on September 8 to discuss connections between trauma, substance abuse, and other mental health ramifications of the terror attack.

The conference, titled "Maintaining the Balance," was organized by the Nova Tribe Community Association and the Israeli Center for Addiction and Mental Health (ICA), with the support of the Welfare and Social Equality Ministries, as well as the Mifal Hapayis national lottery.

Over 500 people attended the conference, which organizers described as the first event of its kind to bring the connection between trauma, substance use, and mental health into open, non-judgemental discussion within society.

The event was hosted by Daniela Dor Levin, the sister of Idan Dor, who was murdered at the Nova festival, and Doron Mizrahi, a Nova festival survivor.

During the massacre, Mizrahi helped evacuate wounded people and later served in the IDF reserves during the Israel-Hamas War. Today, he supports other survivors through the association’s mentoring program.

"We chose to hold this evening because we understand that there is a real need within our community to talk about substance use openly, responsibly, and without judgment," Rif Peretz, CEO of the Nova Tribe Community Association, said.

The event featured a lecture by ICA co-founder and academic director, Prof. Shauli Lev-Ran, followed by a panel of festival survivors and members of bereaved families who discussed coping methods and ways to maintain balance within their lives.

Need for an open, non-judgemental space, linking trauma, substance use, mental health, keeping balance

Lev-Ran's research data, presented at the conference, reflected the understanding that coping with the aftermath of the massacre continues to affect survivors, their families, and the bereaved families of the murdered victims.

This creates "a need for an open, non-judgemental space that places the connection between trauma, substance use, mental health, and the ability to maintain balance within a complex reality at the center of the conversation," according to conference organizers.

"We believe that building a support community can heal the community members, and that open conversation, mutual support, and knowing that help is available without shame can make an enormous difference," Peretz said.

Trauma, substance use are interconnected, Lev-Ran's research data shows

Lev-Ran cited data during his address at the conference, which showed that 54% of Israelis who present with post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms have reported problematic substance use.

During his lecture, he discussed how PTSD can reshape patterns of substance use and blur a person's ability to recognize when it stops serving them and starts becoming a potentially harmful pattern.

"The substances may provide relief in the short term, but over time, they can interfere with the recovery process. Therefore, it is impossible to treat trauma without also addressing substance abuse," Len-Ran said.

"Any mental health treatment needs to see the person and the full picture," he added.

"The unique conference we are holding is an important opportunity to connect these worlds, reduce shame and stigma, and allow festival survivors and those around them to talk about substance use, trauma, and ways of maintaining balance," he told the conference.

"Since October 7, for some members of the community, substance use has become a way to fall asleep, relax, disconnect, or silence the pain," Peretz said.

"We are not here to preach or tell people how to live but rather to provide knowledge and tools that will allow each person to stop and ask themselves: 'Am I managing my substance use, or is it beginning to manage me?' Our responsibility as a community is to look out for one another, recognize distress, and reach out in time," Peretz added.

The conference concluded with a stand-up comedy performance by comedian Israel Katorza.