Let Them Draw: Israeli Adolescents’ Doodle Notebooks Amid Terror and War

Abstract

This study explored the experiences of Israeli adolescents in the wake of the October 7, 2023 terror attack by analyzing their doodle notebooks and accompanying narratives extracts from focus group interviews. Although doodling has been widely recognized as a valuable research tool in health, psychology, and education, this study innovates by examining spontaneous wartime doodles in adolescents’ personal notebooks. In a qualitative, hermeneutic-phenomenological hybrid approach, we conducted seven focus groups with 42 adolescents (aged 16-18) who narrated the doodles they created in the aftermath of this traumatic event. The analysis revealed two key themes. The first, “Processing the War,” captures these adolescents’ expressions of the overwhelming fear and distress caused by the October 7 attack and the subsequent ongoing war, as reflected in dark, horrifying, violent, and destructive imagery. The second theme, “Doodling as a Coping Strategy,” illustrates how this creative practice serves as a means of distraction, relaxation, and emotional regulation while facilitating cognitive processing during the crisis. These findings suggest that doodle notebooks act as essential companions for adolescents navigating trauma and provide a means to impose structure on chaos. The discussion highlights the therapeutic potential of doodling in understanding and supporting adolescents during war and crisis.

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