Moral Injury

“Moral Injury” can be hard for folks to understand or define because it’s an area that’s been neglected or even mocked/discounted by ‘the establishment’ in many ways- it’s not even a recognized mental health disorder! That means many mental health providers won’t even discuss it with you. So it gets lumped in with PTSD and it typically gets treated with the same approaches. PTSD may accompany Moral Injury, but they’re two separate issues. You can absolutely experience one without the other!!!

Because there’s such a lack of acknowledgement/understanding by ‘the establishment’, there’s not even one universally accepted definition. But here are a couple that might help:

“… a betrayal of what’s right by someone who holds legitimate authority in a high stakes situation.” or “Perpetrating, failing to prevent, bearing witness to, or learning about acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations.” It’s a complex problem, and people can experience things like:

Spiritual effects-

- Guilt

- Shame

- Spiritual crisis, crisis of faith (in yourself, others, or the system in general), questioning existence of a God (as perceived by the individual)

Psychological effects-

-Emotional dysregulation (feeling betrayed, or disappointed in themselves for “allowing” it to happen)

- Depression, Anxiety, or Thoughts of Suicide or Self-harm

If you’re experiencing what you may suspect is Moral Injury, reach out and let me know. I understand it, it’s real (and more common than you might think!), I’ve felt it’s effects, and I’m not afraid to discuss this complex issue.