Societal Trends and Opportunities in the Aftermath of the Nova Psychedelic Trance Rave, Through Lilla and Benjamin

Abstract

This fiction article is about trauma and grief, resilience and the celebration of life. It also addresses the role psychedelics can play in bringing about change in our traumatized society by inspiring us and showing us how to use the present as a possibility for fundamental transformation. It is written in the form of a short story to exemplify how these substances work and underline the critical importance of challenging protocols and conventional ways of thinking, and opening up a space for the unexpected. The story discusses societal trends, either already noticeable or hoped for, in the aftermath of the terror attack on the Nova music festival in Re'im, Israel, on October 7, 2023, where roughly two‐third of the partygoers were under the influence of psychedelics. Lilla, our fictitious main protagonist, first describes her experience on that day, at the interface of psychedelics and trauma. This part of the story is influenced by observations from our clinical work with survivors as well as by preliminary insights from our phenomenological study. She then goes on to share her fears, thoughts and visions, initiating a discussion on psychedelics and society. Read through the lens of Walter Benjamin's historical materialism, dialectics between past and present, old and new, we believe that insights from psychedelics can provide a critical view of society while allowing us to envision how this moment can be seized as an opportunity, right now, for creating a break in the continuum of history!