Let There Be Light

A film about veteran mental health during World War II

In my ongoing research about veteran mental health, inherited trauma and family patterns, I stumbled upon a film made by John Huston after World War II called, Let There Be Light.

This film is about veteran mental health and how Army patients were treated at an Army Hospital upon return to the states. This film was allegedly hidden from the public for 30 years after it was created. I’m sure, based on what I know of my grandpa’s life at the VA Hospital for schizophrenia, the military and government didn’t want the public to know just how many young and older men they had screwed up with the war or how they had changed before treatment.

I watched this film on YouTube yesterday and there was quite a lot involved in each patient’s story. You only get to hear snippets of stories and see snippets of treatments given and a conclusion at the end, but I learned a lot. In fact, this is a film I will need to watch multiple times to get all the info out of it so I can expand my research. Not only for my grandpa’s story but to help my clients and students.

I was actually quite surprised at how the pscyhiatrists included inherited trauma, possibly without calling it that, as they asked the soldiers about their home life and childhood and what was going on in the family. There are many current studies from therapists and ancestral healers that talk about symptoms coming on that are unexplainable but are actually from another relative, likely long dead. I’m sure the next time I watch this film I will pick up on more.

Have you seen this film? Was your family impacted by mental health issues or other issues due to World War II, or any war? How did that impact your family? Would you be willing to share you story so others feel less alone?

Learn more

If you would like to learn more about family patterns, trauma, and military research, I offer many webinars. They are available at the Ancestral Souls Wisdom School.

Would you like help researching your veteran’s service?

I am taking new clients right now for research and book projects. Email me at jennifer@ancestralsouls.com to discuss project possibilities.