Trauma In Survivors

The events and actions during the Holocaust led to drastic psychological consequences. Children for several generations have shown symptoms from emotional trauma that their parents, or even grandparents, experienced during the Holocaust. This trauma originated from several sources, such as starvation, physical and emotional abuse, and witnessing brutality towards others. Children were a major target during the Holocaust, and this resulted in devastating trauma from many sources, such as starvation, witnessing death, and ruthless dehumanization.
The traumatic experiences of this degree do not simply end at liberation. The trauma experienced seem impossible to overcome, but is a possible, yet difficult process. In scientific studies published
Not only were the survivors of the Holocaust greatly affected by their experiences, but 29% of their children displayed symptoms of PTSD and depression (Kaplan 1). Some survivors kept their experiences from their children, hoping it would keep the child from developing various mental health disorders, but this secrecy only caused feelings of repression in the families. A child whose background story includes the Holocaust may experience difficulty in their development, but at the same time, they might learn some helpful coping skills (Katz 1). Most survivors today were children during World War II, and as they approach old age, they face new challenges such as retirement, losing a spouse or other loved one, and this may reactivate their early stress (Marinus
Although starvation played a large role in emotional trauma, the fear of brutality was much stronger than the desire for food (Young 7). Lawrence Langer, a Holocaust survivor admitted, “We found a hand from the bombing… a human hand… five of us. Divided. And we were eating it. And somebody died, we cut out a piece- we were eating… human flesh.” The trauma caused victims to lose all sense of sanity, depriving them of enough so it seems rational to consume the flesh of other