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
European Journal of Psychotraumatology November 12, 2025 DOI: 10.1080/20008066.2025.2582303 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Qualitative study Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Sample size | 45 |
| Population | Israeli survivors of the 7 October 2023 Nova festival attack who were under the influence of at least one psychoactive substance during the attack and engaged in psychological support afterward |
| Topics | Psychedelic-assisted therapy |
| Keywords | Psychedelics Entheogens Psychotropic substances Trauma recovery Healing Resilience Post-traumatic growth Collective trauma Trauma integration Mental well-being Emotional processing Holistic health Psychological health Sense of meaning Trauma survivors Nova festival survivors |
| Citations | 5 |
| Key findings | The authors argue that recovery from the Nova attack was rooted in multisystemic and culturally significant contexts, with two interrelated pathways emerging: interpersonal and therapeutic supports, and collective healing practices. They contend that psychedelic experiences became part of survivors' trauma stories not in isolation but when supported by therapeutic, peer, and community frameworks. |
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.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on psychedelic-assisted therapy, most cited first.
| Study | Year | Design | Participants |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patients’ Accounts of Increased “Connectedness” and “Acceptance” After Psilocybin for Treatment-Resistant Depression Patients with treatment-resistant depression enrolled in an open-label trial of psilocybin | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 20 |
| LSD-assisted psychotherapy for anxiety associated with a life-threatening disease: A qualitative study of acute and sustained subjective effects Patients with anxiety associated with life-threatening diseases | 2014 | Prospective follow-up with qualitative content analysis | n = 10 |
| Patient Experiences of Psilocybin-Assisted Psychotherapy: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis Adults aged 22 to 69 with clinically elevated anxiety associated with a cancer diagnosis | 2017 | Qualitative study | n = 13 |
| Psychedelic therapy for smoking cessation: Qualitative analysis of participant accounts Participants who completed a psilocybin-facilitated smoking cessation pilot study | 2018 | Qualitative follow-up study using semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis | n = 12 |
| The hidden therapist: evidence for a central role of music in psychedelic therapy Patients undergoing psychedelic therapy with psilocybin for treatment-resistant depression | 2018 | Qualitative study | n = 19 |
Citations in the library
Cited by 3
- The science of psychedelic medicine. Nature Medicine February 6, 2026
- Psychedelics in the age of reproducibility: Reflections on aura, set and setting and the medicalization of mystical-type experiences. International Journal of Drug Policy 2026
- When Therapy Falls Short: A Qualitative Study of Psychotherapy After Challenging Psychedelic Experiences
Cites 14
- Reviewing the Potential of Psychedelics for the Treatment of PTSD The International Journal of Neuropsychopharmacology March 12, 2020
- Psychedelic Communitas: Intersubjective Experience During Psychedelic Group Sessions Predicts Enduring Changes in Psychological Wellbeing and Social Connectedness. Frontiers in Pharmacology March 25, 2021
- Psychedelic integration: An analysis of the concept and its practice Frontiers in Psychology August 4, 2022
- Attitudes and Beliefs about the Therapeutic Use of Psychedelic Drugs among Psychologists in the United States Journal of Psychoactive Drugs September 1, 2021
- Global Tribe: Technology, Spirituality and Psytrance Equinox Publishing Ltd. eBooks October 30, 2012
and 9 more in the library