Hostage Survivor Recounts Trauma Triggers at Exhibition
Translated & summarized from Ynet by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Hostage survivor Sagi Dekel Chen spoke at a memorial exhibition.
- He described personal belongings of the deceased as a trigger.
- Building a Sukkah caused him intense anxiety, not just sadness.
- He is intentionally confronting triggers but finds no relief.
- Dekel Chen reflected on the challenges of life for survivors.
Sagi Dekel Chen, a survivor of captivity, spoke at an exhibition organized by the October Council to mark three years since the massacre. He described the difficulty of being present, stating, "It is not easy for me here. I went through personal belongings of dead people. It triggers me." Dekel Chen explained that while books identify common distress triggers such as Arabic speech, sirens, or loud noises, simpler elements like darkness, hunger, or pain can also be deeply unsettling, even with medical accompaniment. He recently realized that some aspects related to the disaster were more complex to confront than he had imagined, citing the act of building a Sukkah as an example. He elaborated that this particular experience induced not just sadness but intense anxiety. Dekel Chen mentioned that he sometimes intentionally initiates small encounters with these triggers, as he did at the exhibition, but stated that it has not yet been helpful. He concluded by reflecting on the reality of life for those who survived.
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