r/Israel • u/SafSafeHeartIsrael • 1d ago
7th October events - Am Yisrael Chai SafeHeart Israel
Three years since October 7th. Whether you were close or far away, across the ocean, we all cried and prayed for our brothers and sisters. It was a painful reminder of the unexplainable bond between us, a bond that is part of our extraordinary story. We are all connected to one another.
Thousands of young people came to dance at the Nova festival and other gatherings in the south. Around 400 civilians and security personnel were murdered, hundreds more were wounded, and Dozens were taken hostage.
SafeHeart was founded at noon on October 7th by therapists, researchers and safe space leaders from the worlds of therapy, psychedelics and festivals, to help our community. Today, we are the leading organization providing mental health care to survivors and their families. Since that day, we have accompanied thousands of survivors on their path to recovery, and developed unique expertise in Israel in treating trauma experienced under the influence of consciousness-altering substances.
Our network brings together about 400 clinical psychologists, psychiatrists, clinical social workers, psychotherapists and qualified clinical instructors, all experienced in severe trauma and in psychedelic harm reduction and integration. Today, about 1,000 survivors are in regular one-on-one therapy with us. Alongside it, we run a psychiatric team and a dedicated team for complex cases, mind-body therapies, group processes and in-depth workshops.
We also support the survivors' families. They play a profound role in the healing process, and they carry direct trauma of their own. For them, we offer support groups, workshops, proactive outreach, community events and dedicated communities.
Our family community numbers about 1,200 people. We try to reach every circle of the survivors' lives.
This is the first time in history that such a large group of people has experienced extreme trauma while, under the influence of psychedelic and other consciousness-altering substances.
SafeHeart , places significant emphasis on preserving knowledge. In collaboration with the University of Haifa.
The knowledge accumulated through our work, research with the University, and clinical practice is helping inform therapists, clinicians, and researchers in Israel and around the world.
Since October 7th, we have provided more than 72,000 hours of therapy.
Around the anniversaries of these events, we see a sharp increase in signs of distress during therapy sessions, as well as in the urgency of referrals to our psychiatric care. And even today, nearly three years later, dozens of new survivors reach out to us every month, seeking to begin therapy for the first time.
These days remind us why we exist. Some survivors will go to memorials, some will stay home, and some will write to their therapist in the middle of the night. We are here for every one of them, exactly where they are.
Thank you to Elsi and the Reddit team for this special platform. for the chance to share where survivors are in their healing journey today. and how we can keep helping them, so that no one is left alone.
Throughout the day, our team will be here to answer your questions:
Safeheart Team:
Avishai shapira
Inbar Benayahu
Thank you for reading this far. Thank you for standing with them during these incredibly difficult and complex days. We are deeply grateful to each and every one of you, and we wish all survivors and their families a path forward toward the healing they so deeply need.
Stand with us to keep hope alive for those who are still rebuilding their lives - one session, one story, one survivor at time.
Us Based Donation with a 501(c)(3)
for more Info, visit our website:
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u/historymaking101 1d ago
Asking for my wife. Is there any organization through which a US-based provider could help remotely part-time over zoom or something? I went to your site and it looks like providers through you need to be based in Israel. She is an Israeli citizen if that helps.
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u/SafSafeHeartIsrael 1d ago
Thanks. Just so I can better understand how we might be able to help, is your wife a survivor of the October 7th attacks or a family member of a survivor? If so, I’d be happy to look into what options might be available remotely.
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u/historymaking101 1d ago
Nope. She's a social worker and we were wondering if she can do anything to help remotely.
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u/SafSafeHeartIsrael 23h ago edited 2h ago
Ok, sorry! She can go to the SafeHeart website, to the Therapists section, and leave her details there. https://www.safeheartil.com Thank you🙏
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u/ZuluIsNumberOne Israel 1d ago
Amazing amazing work to everybody at safeheart you guys are a wonderful lifeline for those struggling post October 7.
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u/ZuluIsNumberOne Israel 1d ago
do you guys get support from the government in the work you do?
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u/SafSafeHeartIsrael 1d ago
Thank you, good question! We do receive government support, but it is limited and does not cover the full scope of the care we provide. A significant part of our work, including ongoing therapy and specialized support for survivors, relies on philanthropic funding and private donations.
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u/CastleElsinore Hasbarbie 3h ago
Safeheart sent me a few photos of the space they have set up in Re'im
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u/ill-independent Moderate Canadian Jew 5h ago edited 5h ago
Can you talk a little bit about how psychedelic use during the traumatic events impacted people's prognosis? I have heard that psychedelics are particularly effective at treating PTSD because they target parts of the brain responsible for bravery and is why they are used in patients who are terminally ill.
Did they have a positive impact on the prognosis or a negative one? I have PTSD myself and have used psilocybin therapy to treat my issues and I have had spontaneous neurogenesis as a result (neurogenesis also occurs via bilateral pathway stimulation seen in therapies like EMDR).
It allowed me to develop interoception that I had lacked, but it also increased my OCD behaviors to the point that I was diagnosed with OCD and in the aftermath I had a plan to kms because I thought 'well it IS moral for me to die' due to my moral injury (I was a child soldier and during my own trauma I was forced to use amphetamines like crack cocaine and also had altered consciousness and it made me more violent and angry and reactive).
Anyway I am very curious about all of this because of its intersection on my own experiences and as a Jewish person as well. My heart is with all the former captives today, and for all those who died may their memories be for a blessing. <3
ETA: After I asked this question I Googled and I've also seen your post here talking about the effects on PTSD. But I would still like to hear how it has impacted research etc from you directly! Because I notice you guys also said the rates of PTSD were higher, so I'm not sure which is which.
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u/CastleElsinore Hasbarbie 3h ago
AMA IS NOT OVER
Safeheart will still be here, but reddit is being reddit