Table 1 Description of the participants who disclosed their torture experiences

“They came at night. Every night!”

“Then they hung me by my legs and put me in water.”

“There was hunger, there was fear, and there was anxiety. All the time!”

“I ran and I ran, and I hoped that I would be shot from behind while I was running. But they caught me again.”

“Torture, it is just suffering! When you start bleeding under torture…that’s just the beginning!”

“The most agonizing part was hearing the screams of women being tortured while their children were present. Today, I can’t stand it when someone screams.”

P1 is approximately 60 years of age and has resided in Norway for more than 30 years after being granted asylum in the 1990s. He was imprisoned in his home country when he was just 17 years old for his political activity. During his two years of imprisonment, he was subjected to various methods of torture in a systematic way.

In Norway, he attended education and became a professional in the health sector, where he worked for many years. Throughout his life in Norway, he became increasingly involved in humanitarian work, helping countries with scarce resources. He was married several times and had several children. His passion for cooking created opportunities to gather good friends and family around him.

P2 is more than 60 years old and has been living in Norway for over 30 years with his wife and children. He was politically active in his home country and became imprisoned for it when he was about 20, when he was already married and had a child. He was granted asylum in Norway in the 1990s. During 2.5 years of imprisonment, he was subjected to systematic torture. When he arrived in Norway, he was offered therapy with a psychologist, which he accepted. Despite encountering many challenges later in life, this remained the only contact he had with a psychologist. He devoted his life to caring for and supporting his children.

P3 is over 65 years old and was granted asylum in Norway in the 2000s. He is originally from the Middle East. He was exposed to violence and ill treatment by members of the military forces during war conflicts in his home country. He is a father of five and lives in Norway with his wife, daughter, and son. His health became very poor due to violence and ill treatment during the war. He appreciates the freedom in Norway and loves to go for walks despite the pain in his body.

P4 is originally from the Middle East. He was granted asylum in Norway in the 1900s after a two-year stay in prison in his home country, where he was systematically tortured by members of the military forces. He has never married and lives alone. He has been in contact with the healthcare system many times due to health problems related to torture. He likes to swim to forget his painful experiences.

P5 was born in the Middle East and became politically active when he was around 20 years old. At that time, he was tortured by members of the military forces, and in two years in prison, he was moved several times. He was subjected to torture in several of the prisons he stayed in. After two years, he fled to a neighboring country, where he was also tortured. In the 1900s, he was granted asylum in Norway. He never married and has no children. In Norway, he pursued higher education and has been working in the healthcare system. At one point, he was offered therapy by a psychologist, but after two sessions, he gave up the treatment. He loves dancing to forget his pain.

P6 was born in the Middle East and became politically active at age 35. During imprisonment, he experienced torture at the hands of military personnel. Over five years spent in incarceration, he was subjected to multiple transfers between correctional facilities and tortured during his confinement in different prisons. After five years in prison, he was granted asylum in Norway. He has offspring, has pursued educational endeavors, and devotes his leisure time to assisting other individuals who have been affected by political conflicts and human rights violations.