Dr. Ruth Elimelech, the head of psychological services at Hadassah Medical Center’s Gandel Rehabilitation Center in Israel, visited Washington, D.C., in late July to speak with local Hadassah supporters and share the story of trauma and recovery the country faces.
Elimelech shared her experiences as part of a larger Hadassah trip to participate in the organization’s annual meeting in Las Vegas.
Elimelech said that since Oct. 7, the rehabilitation center has seen a different type of patient than what she typically saw in her two years working there, bringing distinct challenges in dealing with psychological issues.
“Usually during the regular days, people that are coming to the rehab center are people that went through medical events like strokes, surgeries, car accidents, tumors,” Elimelech said. “Since Oct. 7, we see different patients. Patients that were gunshot victims, [have] shrapnel, amputations, burns. [It’s] soldiers and civilians. It’s a younger population.”
Elimelech explained that the goal of rehab is to give patients a return to meaningful lives where they can function across everyday activities. Psychology plays an important step in making that return.
She added that with patients dealing with war injuries, the psychological aspect of treatment has become even more important in preventing lasting damage.
“We aim to prevent chronic psychological illness like post-traumatic stress disorders, anxiety disorders or depression. And [having] the intervention close in time to the [traumatic] incidents is a great opportunity to work on it effectively,” Elimelech said.
Elimelech said the psychological department works in conjunction with other physical, occupational and speech therapists to tie together the aspects of an injury that could need work.
She said that in her department the patients are evaluated when they arrive to determine their individual needs and to develop a treatment plan based on their specific physical and mental injuries.
The goal is to allow patients to spend time processing what happened to them and what they can do about it going forward.
“The therapy addresses all the dimensions of time — the past, the present and the future. We process the events, in a trauma-focused method, to process the horrible events that people went through,” Elimelech said. “And we also process whatever they went through since they were injured until today that has been really challenging. And we’re there with their struggles supporting them. And we also plan their future together.”
Elimelech gave an example of what the process looked like for an anonymous soldier wounded on Oct. 7. He underwent several surgeries, leaving him in lasting pain.
“In sessions, we were first learning body-mind techniques to help him. We learned together with him what works for him, breathing, using imagination, whatever to help him with the pain. But we also deal with his feelings of panic, the difficulty of being wounded, being dependent again on his parents when he’s already in his early 30s. It’s not easy,” Elimelech said.
Elimelech said that another aspect of the treatment involved walking the soldier through the day’s events as the traumatic memories began to resurface and dealing with feelings of survivor’s guilt.
She added that she has seen a gap in the perception many of the wounded soldiers have of themselves versus the general Israeli public’s view of them as heroes, with injuries causing harm to self-image, some feeling guilt that others are fighting while they recover, and many dealing with immense feelings of loss.
“Many of them are dealing with moving on. They lost many friends in the battles and, in some of them, there’s a deep sorrow and struggle with their loss, even with parts of themselves. Some of them have [lost] limbs, but some of them [deal with a] loss of their beliefs or of the body image as they’re disabled or after amputation,” Elimelech said.
Those emotions aren’t exclusive to soldiers, as Elimelech described the ties that she and others in her unit have with the soldiers, the ongoing war and the attacks.
Elimelech is the mother of a soldier who has spent the last six months fighting in Gaza; that aspect of her life has crossed over into her professional work.
“We feel real partnership with the patients and the personal and the professional is mixed. … When I see patients, I treat each one of them as if it was my son. So, it’s a challenge, but it’s also very meaningful for us,” Elimelech said.
Elimelech said the spirit of the soldiers gives the therapists strength, hope and a sense of pride that helps them carry on during difficult times. She added that Haddasah has given them weekly meetings with a trauma professional to provide support.
Elimelech said the support from the Jewish community in the United States and D.C. area was heartwarming, and she felt how much people cared about Israel, what’s going on there and that the Jewish community had her back.
That support encouraged Elimelech to share her story and let people know what the experience has been like.
“I want them [the American Jewish community] to know what we are going through. What are our challenges as a hospital, as the people of Israel, and that personal and professional lives are mixed. But I also want them to know that at Hadassah we’re doing the best therapy in all the domains that can give our heroes — our soldiers — the best. And by sharing [my story], you’re also lightening my burden. And you’re becoming a part of our story,” Elimelech said.
thanks for info.