“Living in a movie” — Israeli women combatants in conflict zones

•This study explores dissociative processes of women combatants in conflict zones.•The study utilizes two qualitative techniques to explore experiences of combatants.•Both methods enabled us to analyze expressive and silent (un-spoken) voices of women.•Two major voices were identified: “persistent stress voice” and “detachment voice”.•The listening guide enables scholars to listen to women's silenced voices.

This study utilizes two different qualitative analysis techniques to explore the experiences of women who served as combatants or in combat support roles in conflict zones. By using data analysis techniques such as the “listening guide” and content theme analysis, the study uncovers the experiences that this specific group undergoes, while exposing their dilemmas and thoughts. This research investigates how military service in conflict zones impacts the psychological, physical, and emotional wellbeing of female combatants. Twenty female Israeli veterans between the ages of 21 and 30 who served in the Israeli Defense Forces in the Occupied Territories (the West Bank and Gaza) were interviewed for this study. The findings suggest that although the combatants actively served by choice in high-status positions, they applied a dissociation mechanism in order to survive the traumatic and complex reality of their service. This study offers a unique, multilayered analysis of these women combatants' voices.