On April 30th, thousands of people arrived at Har Meron to celebrate Lag B’Omer. Due to the overload of people, 45 people were crushed to death, and 150 people were injured. 

The natural landscape of Har Meron is extremely steep. Additionally, there was a waste on the ground, making pathways slippery. Due to the overcrowding, personal space was not possible. As people moved through a narrow passageway, which was on an incline, a ‘chain reaction’ occurred. The initial incident occurred because someone slipped and fell, causing those behind them to fall. This cascaded into people falling on one another, crushing those beneath them. 

The sight of this horrible event left many people shocked and traumatized. When people experience a traumatic event, they often do not know available resources to help them deal with the experience. They might experience a physical response such as a rapid pulse, anxiety, nausea, vomiting, weakness, fatigue, shaky hands, dizziness, and fainting. They might experience a psychological response such as anxiety, severe fear, guilt (including survivor guilt), anger, or a feeling of being overwhelmed. These symptoms may pass on their own, but they often need therapy and psychological help. If these symptoms are not addressed early, they can lead to long-term issues such as PTSD.

Thankfully, Dr. Eliana Aaron understands people’s reactions to traumatic events and is knowledgeable regarding available treatments. To help individuals cope with the tragedy, Dr. Eliana Aaron is in contact with the head of the EMDR (Eye Movement desensitization and reprocessing) Institute of Israel, Dr. Gary Quinn. EMDR is a psychotherapy treatment that involves eye movement therapy and hypnosis. It is designed to alleviate the distress associated with traumatic memories. 

EMDR has been used in the past to help people who experienced a traumatic event. The EMDR institute takes care of people after car accidents, deaths, and terror attacks in Israel, and the patient sees positive results very quickly even after just 1 session. 

Dr. Eliana Aaron and Dr. Gary Quinn set up an individual PSTD/anxiety emergency session for those affected by the tragedy. Anyone who is emotionally affected by this tragedy can sign up for our service at EMA Care, and we can help you get through this trauma. This service is entirely voluntary and therefore ????????????????. 

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