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Calhoun, Roberta D. "Survivor Guilt: What Long-term Survivors Dont Talk

About" (2001-2008). Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
Survivors Guilt is basically the feeling of intense powerlessness stemming from
inability to help others in morbid circumstances. In recent studies, it is shown that guilt
is one of the top causes of PTSD, and why it is so hard to shake. When an individual
trains their brain to believe they are responsible for death, it is hard to undo. It is most
often suffered by those who have witnessed multiple deaths, and have lived to remember.
Survivors of the Holocaust and war veterans most likely suffer from Survivors Guilt,
however those who battled a chronic illness can also endure. Many believe that they
should have died instead of a group of people, or a loved one. In early stages of
Survivors Guilt it is likely that those alive idealize the dead, making themselves feel
even more unworthy to carry on with life. Survivors presume that they might owe
something to those that died in place of them, which can cause a longing for meaning of
life. It can function as a shove in the right direction to accept and make sense of their
situation, and help them overcome the powerless and helpless state they are stuck in.
This feeling can also be brought on by feelings of gratitude and relief, which in turn
make the victim feel as if they have done something wrong. Survivors Guilt is dealt
with in various ways; while some prefer to keep to themselves, others attempt to largely
give back.
Kellerman, Natan P.F. Journal of Loss and Trauma (2001): Web. 29 Mar. 2016.
The long-term effects of the Holocaust are still prevalent, not only in first-hand
survivors, but also second-generation offspring. Many who were children while they

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were in the camps prematurely scared their brain with aggressive material, and usually
still long for a lost parent, or one they never truly knew. The AMCHA, a support system
in Israel, attempts to heal the hearts of survivors, and free them of their burdens. This
organization encouraged many Holocaust victims to speak out, and share their
experiences with mental suffering. AMCHA offers help and counseling to all those who
need help in various forms. Some include group and individual therapy, open forums and
lecturing, psychiatric consultations, and support clubs. There are several main
characteristics of those requesting help from AMCHA, such as intrusive memories,
suicidal ideation, nightmares, excessive anxiety, low threshold for stress, and constant
paranoia. Many survivors panic whenever certain triggers are brought up, including but
not limited to crowded trains, showers, medical exams, loud knocking, tight spaces, and
ovens. Positive or happy situations can also act as grief triggers, as victims remember
all of those who were not so lucky to live through the Holocaust. It is generally much
more difficult for older survivors as they have a harder time doing things to distract
themselves from these thoughts, than a young person with a job, and growing family.

Wiesel, Elie, and Marion Wiesel. Night. New York, NY: Hill and Wang, a Division of Farrar,
Straus and Giroux, 2006. Print.
Night is a horrifying first-hand narrative about the terrors of the Holocaust from a childs
point of view. Wiesel tells of heavy topics in a frank manner throughout his memoir such
as mental illness, the blurred line between the yearn to live or die, and the death and

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betrayal of those closest to him. Throughout the book readers see the powerful themes of
depression, death, and the onset of psychological disorders.
In the beginning of the work, Mrs. Schachter, a middle aged woman accompanied by her
young son, fell into the long spiral of losing her mind. While on the cramped cattle train,
en route to the camp, she would cry out and insist she saw fire, completely enthralled in
her hallucinations. Readers can also see the change in Moshe the Beadl, a once
seemingly shy and decent individual, who came back to be loud and persistent,
transfixed on the horrors he witnessed. Wiesel describes his feelings of being
permanently marked by the awes of the concentration camp when he says he will never
forget the loss of his faith, the sight of burning bodies, and the loss of the desire to live.
The author also describes how he feels immune to violence after less than a week in the
camp, how he is now numb to things that a week prior would have angered him.
Towards the end of the memoir, when Wiesels father dies, he tells of how nothing truly
matters to him anymore, and how he feels guilty of not being able to cry of his fathers
death.
Wilson, John P., Zev Harel, and Boaz Kahana. Human Adaptation to Extreme Stress: From the
Holocaust to Vietnam. New York: Plenum, 1988. Print.
The Death Imprint is a widespread symptom of Holocaust survivors caused by the
images of death being permanently burned into the mind. Death Imprint can also be
caused by a near-death situation in which the victim is defenseless. This experience can
be sudden, or develop gradually over a large time period. It calls forth prior imagery of
this experience, that is most likely extremely absurd, grotesque, or suffered at a young

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age. The degree of anxiety the survivor suffers can depend on the suddenness,
extremeness, or the unacceptably of the deaths that occurred. The intensity of the Death
Imprint also varies according to the vulnerability of the victim, it can cause them to not
only be a threat to life, but can also cause them to be socially aloof and standoffish. This
hindrance to everyday life is not generally clung to, but rather permanently attached to
the survivor, as they struggle to find a way to deal with such intense imagery and
memories. When these images re-enter the mind, questions of personal meaning and
feelings of prior experiences also affect the victim. Though the Death Imprint is largely
associated with grief, it can also be associated with value. Those who overcome
situations of the like can feel a unique knowledge or sense of pride in being one of the
few to make it to tell their story. The Death Imprint not only forces the victim to look
back, but also can change their views on the rest of their life, as they faced death so
many times, they are immune and often welcome death.