The Survivor Syndrome

The Holocaust was one of the most documented and widely talked about massacres known to mankind. The torture and devastation that was brought about to the victims of that time is widely documented and memorials and museums have been erected across the globe in remembrance. But the assault and torture that the victims felt was not purely physical but psychological as well. The physical pains, though tremendous, stay with a singular generation for their entire lives. The psychological pains however, can last generations and still leave an imprint on the generation that is growing up today. The Survivor Syndrome that impacted the lives of many Holocaust victims greatly impacted the way the way that they saw the world and how they continued their …show more content…
From the personal Diary of Anne Frank with her account of what it was like to be in hiding for years before her eventual capture and her upsetting downfall to the story of Night by Elie Wiesel and his story of what happened to him and his family when they were captured and brought to the concentration camps. Those in hiding often did try to flee the nations where they were being captured. But with so many Jews and others looking for escape, this was at times, hopeless. Many did find refuge for a short time at least, like Anne Frank had in her secret annex, while others never had a chance. Though many people within the nation were anti-Semitic, others did do what they could to try and help. This isolation, however, made many feel like they were captured, that they were tortured. In some instances, those in hiding merely felt wronged and deserted. But alas, many spent years in isolation. Years past, so did birthdays. Some were safely able to hide out until the war was over. Others, sadly, like Anne Frank, did not have the pleasure of seeing a day after the …show more content…
Immediately afterward, the survivors began to have nightmares and recurring flashbacks about what they had experienced while in the concentration camps. Being housed in camps for displaced persons, as established by the Allies, left many victims together again, wounded but alive. It was strange for many to go back to daily life. Normal things that people no do without thinking such as using a toothbrush, toilet paper, or even a fork and knife, were difficult things to recall and revert back to after such a long time. Soon enough though, they began to revert back to daily life. Psychological treatment then soon went into effect. Psychotherapy, however, was deemed largely ineffective with survivors. But instead of trying to understand why, many Freudians just deemed it easier to blame the victim. It was deemed that they were not fully suitable for psychotherapy because they were “incapable of a full emotional response.” Others, however, acknowledged the problem and sought to discover new treatments and form a new understanding of what the survivors had gone through. Survivor syndrome is an instance of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder in survivors, most related to the Holocaust. Treatment for this is moderately straightforward. Replace the maladaptive beliefs and behaviors with new ones.