More than a year after October 7, most survivors of the Nova festival still suffer from PTSD, and those who were under the influence of alcohol and weed suffer more than others - but a new discovery could change treatment in the future
About two-thirds (65%) of the survivors of the Nova music festival massacre on October 7 suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, even more than a year later. This is one of the interim conclusions that emerged from a large, comprehensive and groundbreaking study being conducted at the University of Haifa and dealing with the horrendous encounter that occurred on October 7 between trauma and psychedelics. "I have never encountered such a serious situation," says Professor Roee Admon, a neuropsychologist and trauma expert, one of the two scientists leading the study.
"After the event, many people develop PTSD symptoms, such as nightmares and difficulty concentrating. This is normal, this is how a person processes the event. For most people, it fades, and a year after the event you see about 6% of people with post-trauma at a clinical level, in severe cases – 10%," added Admon. "In cases of mass terrorist events, the numbers reach around 15% with PTSD. But in Nova, we are talking about more than four times, with 65% in very significant distress. These are unprecedented numbers in the world of trauma."
Anyone familiar with the situation of the survivors will confirm that the data is consistent and the situation is grim. People reach the extreme with cases of suicide, isolation and avoidance. Due to the victims being from several heterogeneous and dispersed communities, it is very easy to fall through the cracks and disappear. Admon explains the unusual figure by saying that October 7 is still present in the lives of survivors.
"In fact, the event is not over and is not fading away. This research data was collected at the end of 2024 – the war was still raging, the evacuees had not returned, there had not yet been a hostage deal. When the event is not over and there is no closure, it is very difficult to begin the recovery and rehabilitation processes," he said.
"Recently, a study was released on the decade since the terrorist attack at the Bataclan theater in Paris (in the attack that took place in November 2015, 89 attendees were killed). It is impossible to underestimate the intensity of the traumatic experience of the people who were there, some of whom were probably also under the influence of various substances, but after three hours the event was over. In that case, we are talking about 15% of the survivors suffering from PTSD. This is also what we would expect to see in the case of the Nova," according to Admon
Could it be that some kind of closure has begun in recent weeks? "If we have some kind of closure it would be the return of the hostages, peace in the north, an agreement with Saudi Arabia. Everyone has their own idea of what could be better. I don't believe we'll see such numbers of PTSD. I expect 15% or 20%. That's why we're starting another round of data collection, to see if the numbers go down. If the numbers continue to be as high as they are now, it would of course be very bad on a social level, and also something unheard of from the scientific perspective. In that case, we could say that Nova is fundamentally different from other terrorist events.
'I realized there was something here that hadn't been there before'
Of the over 4,000 partygoers at the Nova festival, 364 men and women were murdered, hundreds were injured, and 44 were kidnapped. Along with the pain, loss, grief and horror, the Nova massacre is probably the only time in history, and undoubtedly the only case in recorded history, in which a mass trauma situation occurred on a broad spectrum of different types of consciousness.
These circumstances create a kind of natural laboratory which allows us to study the effects of different types of substances on the response and processing of trauma, which also allows us to understand their impact on the recovery processes and to examine new treatment methods in real time and over a period of time.
The meeting between trauma and psychedelics is also the meeting between the two leaders of the research. Professor Roy Salomon is the head of the Laboratory for the Study of Consciousness and the Self in the Department of Cognitive Sciences at the University of Haifa, a researcher of psychedelics, the concept of The Self and the Perception of Reality.
As early as October 8, he was one of the founders of the "SafeHeart" association, which has treated hundreds of survivors. "When I realized that there was something here that wasn't there yet," says Salomon, "I called Roee." That is, Professor Roee Admon, a trauma researcher and head of the clinical neuropsychology program at the University of Haifa - and the study was launched. As of today, about 750 survivors of the Nova festival are participating in it (a relatively extensive study, and a representative sample of about 3,500 survivors of the party).
The researchers collect the information from a variety of sources, which together are supposed to give a comprehensive picture of the person and their condition. Detailed questionnaires with data from age and marital status to what drugs they took at the party, when, with whom and where they were when everything happened; saliva samples and smart watches that measure sleep quality; EEG tests to record electrical activity in the brain, MRI scans and in-depth personal interviews.
'MDMA had some kind of protective effect'
The second sensational finding of the study, after the high percentage of sufferers of acute post-traumatic symptoms, concerns the second part of the study – psychedelics, or substances that alter consciousness.
The subjects in the study were divided into five groups, according to the types of substances they used during the party. The psychedelic group (who took mushrooms, LSD and the like); the stimulant group (who took stimulant drugs such as cocaine, speed, and the like); the amphetamine derivative group, such as MDMA (also known as Ecstasy, a drug that is not psychedelic and does not cause hallucinations, but creates an emotional change and causes a feeling of euphoria and love); a group of weed and alcohol users; and a fifth group, of sober survivors who were not under the influence of substances at the time of the event. Other types of drugs, such as ketamine, were not studied and users in this group were likely in particularly poor condition at the time of the massacre.
According to the study, five months after October 7 people who took MDMA at the Nova suffered fewer post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. “Their clinical condition was significantly better than the condition of people who took substances from other groups,” says Salomon. Not only that, the study also found that these people suffered less symptoms such as depression and anxiety than the partygoers who were not under the influence of substances, although to a lesser extent.
“We found that MDMA had some kind of protective effect,” says Salomon enthusiastically. “Think about it, five months after the Nova and what hasn’t happened in those months? People were in the reserves, their friends were kidnapped and more. And yet, we see echoes of the strong initial effect of MDMA. To me, that says a lot.
“We measure how many PTSD symptoms a person has: difficulties falling asleep, concentrating, nightmares, avoidance and so on. There is a very clear set of symptoms that define a person as clinically post-traumatic. Everyone has a certain range. At the group level, MDMA users suffer less from PTSD symptoms compared to other groups," adds Admon. "We are talking at the group level, not the individual."
So is there a vaccine for trauma? The two are quick to reassure. "The differences are not very large. But on average, the chances of a person who took MDMA not developing post-traumatic stress disorder were a little better," Admon says, moderating the enthusiasm.
Are the feelings of love and euphoria that MDMA provides giving the protective effect? "What we know is that many survivors talked about energy, that the substances gave them adrenaline and the strength to run. Both those who took stimulants and those who took substances from the psychedelic group said this. Others said that MDMA (and psychedelics) helped them cope with the event, that they felt fewer negative effects during the event. Of those who are familiar with the effects of the drug, one of them said that it reduces the feeling of negative effects. It is possible that they experienced something less traumatic at the party. Who would have thought that a person who took substances would say that they helped him survive a terrorist event? It doesn't make sense. But the data confirms it," Admon says.
"Another thing that stands out in our data is the social aspect. Both during the event and after it, those who took MDMA say that they had more social encounters, that they received more social support and that they felt more together with people at the event itself. It may be another important dimension, that people came home and were able to open up and talk – and not become petrified. We don't know for sure, but it is a logical direction that fits both what we know about the substance and our data.
"The way we remember the trauma has a great influence on the way we process it," explains Admon. "Even if our perception is subjective, it will still have a big impact on recovery."
Which substances did people who are in the worst shape in terms of post-traumatic symptoms take? Salomon: "The people who drank alcohol or used weed. They are in worse shape than the people who didn't take anything, and also than all the other groups of substances."
Surprisingly, these are the most common and normative substances. "Substances are common not only in the number of people who take it, but also in the amount of time. People spend much more time on weed and alcohol than on MDMA." The two stress these findings apply to the group level. At the individual level, explains Admon, the substances "are just another factor, and not the most significant, that can explain the mental state."
The importance of sleep
Another significant finding from the study came from the data collected thanks to the smartwatches. Between four and five months after October 7, hundreds of subjects wore a smartwatch for an entire month. The watch collected 24/7 information about the subject's heart rate, and mainly about what is called the circadian rhythm, or the biological clock that drives us when it is synchronized with the day. It wakes us up in the morning with a high heart rate, and lowers it at night so that we can fall asleep.
The discovery came when the researchers returned to the subjects six months later (about a year after the Nova). "We looked at their clinical condition, and we found that irregular sleep is a significant predictor of a high level of PTSD symptoms," explains Admon. In other words, the Nova survivors who suffered from acutely irregular sleep after four or five months of the massacre were much more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder six months later. The data applied to the other side and subjects whose biological clock was balanced and maintained a regular sleep routine suffered less from the symptoms.
"This is something new," explains Admon. "Think about what new possibilities this opens up for treatment, if we are able to identify the sleep pattern that suits a person and channel their behavior to maintain routine and stability. In other words, to treat the problem before it worsens and becomes chronic. A lot of emotional and cognitive processes happen during sleep, and they are crucial in terms of the ability to overcome the traumatic event."
"There's something big here. This finding can contribute a lot to the psychiatric and therapeutic world. In my opinion, this is one of the most practical things we've discovered. There's an objective measure here that predicts post-traumatic symptoms," says Salomon.
What is your explanation for the findings? Admon: "This is the interaction between a person's psychological experience and behavior in everyday life. The body has a mechanism that knows how to adjust our biological clock to the environment. My interpretation is that people for whom this mechanism is not working properly have a harder time calming the reaction and the storm of emotions, and a negative dynamic is created."
"Emotion is embedded in the body," adds Salomon.
The research is still in its early stages. Much of the information that has been collected, such as brain scans, saliva samples, and more, has not yet been fully analyzed. The road to a full understanding of the connection between consciousness altering substances and coping with trauma, and what really happens to our brains during trauma and under the influence, is still open.
"We are here for many more years," says Admon, "I recommend that you continue to follow developments."
I personally accept his recommendation, we will meet in the next findings.
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