Radiance in Pain and Resilience:The Global Reverberation of Palestinian Historical Trauma

My guest is Dr. Samah Jabr, a Palestinian psychiatrist, psychotherapist, writer, educator, and one of the most important contemporary voices addressing the psychological consequences of occupation, violence, displacement, and historical trauma.

Dr. Jabr joins us to discuss her book, Radiance in Pain and Resilience: The Global Reverberation of Palestinian Historical Trauma.

Her work challenges us to expand the way we understand trauma. Western approaches to trauma have often focused primarily on what happens within an individual—the symptoms a person experiences and the treatment that may help that person recover. But what happens when trauma is shared across families, communities, and generations? What happens when the source of trauma is not entirely in the past?

And perhaps most importantly, how do we talk about resilience without romanticizing suffering or placing the burden of adaptation solely upon those who have been harmed?

Today, we will explore these questions and consider what the Palestinian experience can teach the global community about historical trauma, collective resilience, dignity, and our shared humanity.