Forbidden to Speak of What Hurt You: The Cruel Trap of Unit 8200 Veterans | Maj. (Res.) Maya

Maj. (Res.) Maya, a former Unit 8200 soldier, describes the invisible trauma of intelligence soldiers: psychological injuries caused by exposure to atrocities, heavy secrecy, and immense responsibility, yet unrecognized. She exposes the trap: it is forbidden to speak of the incident that caused the injury, there is a shortage of therapists with security clearance, and the Defense Ministry dismisses recognition claims. She calls for recognizing these injuries and providing assistance.

Maj. (Res.) Maya, a former Unit 8200 soldier, describes in an opinion piece the invisible psychological trauma of intelligence soldiers. She explains that the injuries are not caused by a bullet, but by what they saw, heard, knew, and did – and by what they are forbidden to tell. The soldiers suffer from shame, guilt, and loneliness, as they have no one to share their experiences with due to security classification. Maya describes the difficulty of returning to civilian life, the obsession with reserve duty, and the feeling of losing contact with the hostages they tracked. She points to systemic failures: a shortage of therapists with security clearance, difficulty in recognition claims from the Defense Ministry, and evasive responses from mental health officers. She calls for recognizing these injuries and providing assistance, as thousands of soldiers sacrificed years of their lives to save others, and now they need saving themselves.