The news coming from the Middle East is heartbreaking and alarming. No one remains unchanged after experiencing a war. Words like cruelty, unpredictability, alert, death, chaos, lack of protection, danger, insecurity, trauma, injury, risk, anguish, pain and terror flood my mind when thinking about war.
From the perspective of psychology, we can understand that traumatic experiences leave a mark on our psyche. When evoked, these experiences awaken the same sensations of displeasure with which they were previously experienced. In addition, they cause a multitude of physical and mental symptoms that accompany the individual throughout their life.
Sigmund Freud discovered in trauma fixation and other phenomena the compulsive repetition – automatic and involuntary – of the most painful experiences of the individual’s life. He called all of this symptomatology “war neurosis,” a concept from which the current “post-traumatic stress disorder” has been derived. Freud also pointed out that everything that establishes emotional ties between men and drives cultural evolution acts against war.
As a sports psychologist, I have always been fascinated by the resilience that athletes have. Today I think about Israel and I see on television the squares with their bunkers next to the children’s games. I firmly believe that in the midst of so much noise, physical and recreational activity is crucial: appealing to play works like a balm in times of war. And sport at its core is that: fun.
Furthermore, what better than sport to convey improvement? Sport unites people and transmits values such as teamwork, humility, camaraderie, empathy, respect and resilience. It is urgent to incorporate the sports structure into extreme situations because those who practice and live in sports environments since childhood are accustomed to these concepts.
A few days ago I watched the series “The Swimmers”, based on the true story of Yusra Mardini, an Olympic athlete born in Syria. After taking refuge in Berlin, she was part of the Refugee Olympic Athletes team that competed in the Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. Her story (like that of many other athletes) conveys passion, resistance and adaptability in the face of change.
Of course, practicing sports is not going to stop the terrorism carried out by those who do not respect anything. However, from our small place, playing, laughing, surpassing oneself and one’s rival in a regulated way; Everyone abiding by the same rules and working as a team is revolutionary these days.
Lic. Luz Morales Psychologist, specialized in Clinical and Sports.
MN 43342 MP 94642
IG: @luzmoralespsi
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