Hypervigilance and resistance among palestinian former prisoners.

INTRODUCTION

Palestinian political prisoners are subjected to systematic torture, sensory deprivation, and psychological violence in Israeli prisons. The effects of incarceration continue after release, shaping everyday life through lasting psychological and physiological distress.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigates the long-term effects of imprisonment on Palestinian men, focusing on sleep disturbances, somatic pain, hypervigilance, and relational disintegration after release.

METHODS

Semi structured interviews were conducted with 20 Palestinian men from the West Bank who were released during prisoner exchanges on 24 November 2023 and 19 January 2025. Data were analyzed through inductive thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns of trauma and resilience.

RESULTS

Seven themes were identified: (1) systematic sleep deprivation as a carceral tool; (2) physical torture and the fragmentation of the self; (3) sensory overload as environmental torture; (4) emotional despair and the psychological violence of isolation; (5) post release insomnia, hypervigilance, and lingering trauma; (6) family estrangement and the erosion of relational bonds; and (7) psychological survival through collective resistance. Participants described chronic insomnia, nightmares, hallucinations, flashbacks triggered by environmental stimuli, and severe bodily pain. They also reported difficulty reintegrating with family and community, ongoing surveillance, and fear of re arrest. Despite these conditions, cultural resistance practices such as poetry, study circles, and collective memory provided therapeutic lifelines.

CONCLUSION

The findings reveal the enduring imprint of carceral trauma on Palestinian lives. Recovery requires culturally grounded and politically informed mental health interventions that address personal suffering together with the structural violence of occupation.