War, conflict, and organized violence

Being a civilian who lived through war or armed conflict

Living through war, civil conflict, or armed violence as a civilian. Not a soldier but someone whose life was inside it anyway. The bombings, the displacement, the loss, the fear, the constant uncertainty of living somewhere that was not safe.

If some version of this is part of your story, you already know that the hardest part is rarely the memory itself. It is carrying it in a world that mostly does not want to hear about it. This fellowship exists so you do not have to carry it alone, and so you never have to explain it to someone who has no idea what it means.

What can follow an experience like this

No two people carry the same experience the same way. These are some of the effects that people with this experience often describe. Having some of them, all of them, or none of them says nothing about how real what happened to you was.

Chronic pain no one can fully explain Pain that has been investigated and treated and remains. Complex or ongoing trauma and its effects When trauma happened repeatedly, over a long time, or at the hands of people who were supposed to care for you, the effects go deeper than a single event. Emotional numbness Not depression exactly. Not knowing who you are, or experiencing multiple parts or identities A self that shifts depending on who you are with. Survivor's guilt A persistent sense that you should not have survived, or should have done more, or that your survival came at someone else's expense. Dissociation or feeling detached from yourself Dissociation is what the nervous system does when what is happening is too much to stay present for. Homelessness or housing instability Homelessness and housing instability are often what trauma produces. Financial devastation or losing everything Financial ruin is often what trauma leaves behind.

Nothing on this page is a diagnosis, and nothing here decides what is wrong with you, because nothing is wrong with you. Something happened to you. This page exists so that when you are ready, you can find people who understand it from the inside.

You do not have to carry this alone.

Bridge of Hope Recovery is a free, anonymous, peer-led fellowship for trauma survivors. Meetings run throughout the week by phone, by video, and in person. No cost, no waitlist, no one asking for your real name.

Find a meeting Join the fellowship

Need support right now?

Related experiences we cover

See everything we cover