The Long War. Echoes of Combat, #14

What happens to the human psyche when war never ends?The Long War: Psychological Endurance in Prolonged Conflicts takes readers deep into the mental trenches of those who fight, survive, and rebuild amid years of violence, uncertainty, and loss. This groundbreaking work explores how soldiers, civilians, and societies cope when conflict becomes a way of life-when survival is measured not in battles won, but in minds unbroken.
Drawing from military psychology, neuroscience, and first-hand accounts, the book exposes how prolonged exposure to war reshapes perception, emotion, and identity. It delves into the corrosive effects of chronic stress, moral injury, and emotional numbness-while revealing the psychological mechanisms that allow endurance, adaptation, and even growth in the face of unrelenting chaos. Each chapter peels back another layer of the mind under siege, uncovering stories of despair and defiance, collapse and courage.
From the frozen trenches of forgotten conflicts to the psychological operations of modern hybrid wars, The Long War examines how trauma becomes collective memory and how nations learn-or fail-to heal. It reveals the invisible scars that linger long after ceasefires are signed and peace is declared, showing that for many, the true war begins when the fighting stops. Written in a powerful, human-centered narrative style, this book bridges science, history, and emotion to answer a haunting question: what sustains the human spirit when every illusion of safety and meaning has been stripped away?Ideal for readers interested in military psychology, trauma recovery, resilience, and the mental cost of war, this book provides both an intellectual and emotional journey through the landscape of endurance.
It is a must-read for veterans, historians, psychologists, policymakers, and anyone seeking to understand the hidden frontlines of modern warfare-the battle for the human mind.