The Emotions of Moral Injury & How to Heal Them
What is moral injury and how can it be assessed?
Moral injury is a deep and profound assault on one's sense of self and values, often resulting from witnessing or perpetrating events that contradict one's morals or ethical code.
Moral injury is a psychological wound that can have significant mental, social, and spiritual effects on individuals. Assessing moral injury can be done through tools such as the Moral Injury Event Scale (developed by Bill Nash), which asks in detail about experiences that may have caused moral injury. Other methods of assessment may involve clinical interviews and self-report measures.
The 3 main emotions associated with moral injury and how they affect individuals:
The three main emotions associated with moral injury are guilt, shame, and betrayal. These emotions can have a profound impact on individuals who have experienced moral injury.
Guilt can lead individuals to feel responsible for their actions or inactions and can lead to feelings of remorse or regret. In the context of moral injury, guilt can be particularly intense if an individual feels that they have violated their own moral code or the moral code of their community.
Shame can involve feelings of unworthiness or inadequacy and can be particularly debilitating. It can lead individuals to feel as though they are fundamentally flawed or that they do not deserve happiness or success. In the context of moral injury, shame can be particularly intense if an individual feels that they have violated a deeply held moral principle or if they have been the victim of a betrayal.
Betrayal can involve feelings of anger, hurt, and disappointment. It can occur when individuals feel that their trust has been violated, or when they feel that they have been let down by someone they trusted. In the context of moral injury, betrayal can be particularly intense if an individual feels that they have been betrayed by someone they trusted to uphold their moral code or by an institution that they believed in.
Overall, the three main emotions associated with moral injury can have a significant impact on an individual's psychological, social, and spiritual well-being. They can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, anger, and spiritual distress, and can make it difficult for individuals to move forward and heal from their experiences.
Understanding Moral Injury: What it is, How it Affects People, and What You Can Do to Help
Moral injury is a psychological wound that occurs when a person violates their moral code or witnesses an event that goes against their values. This type of injury can be particularly profound for those who have experienced trauma or who have served in the military. In this blog post, we will explore what moral injury is, how it affects people, and what you can do to help.
First, let's define moral injury. As mentioned earlier, moral injury occurs when a person violates their moral code or witnesses an event that goes against their values. This can happen in a number of situations, including combat, healthcare, law enforcement, and interpersonal relationships. When a person experiences moral injury, they may feel a sense of guilt, shame, or betrayal, and this can lead to a variety of psychological symptoms, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, substance abuse, and spiritual struggles.
The psychological symptoms of moral injury
can be severe and long-lasting.
This can impact a person's ability to function in their daily life, maintain relationships, and engage in activities they once enjoyed.
It can also lead to feelings of isolation and hopelessness.
How to Overcome the Stigma and Move Forward
The importance of self-compassion cannot be overstated in the healing journey from moral injury. Because of the intense shame and guilt that are residual ruminating emotions left in the trail behind moral injury, it is extremely important to treat oneself with kindness and understanding, rather than harsh judgment.
Group therapy and individual coaching can be used to help heal from moral injury. The community formed within a group session environment can help validate and strengthen one's experiences and provide support. Group sessions can be particularly helpful for individuals who have experienced moral injury related to their culture, religion, or sexual identity.
PTSD and Moral Injury: How They Differ and What You Need to Know
While PTSD is often associated with fear and anxiety, moral injury is associated with intense emotions of guilt, shame, and betrayal. Individuals who have experienced moral injury may feel like they have violated their own moral code, and struggle to reconcile their actions with their values. This type of experience results in a broader range of difficulties than PTSD and may result in struggles with depression, substance use, spiritual struggles, family conflict, and anger.
PTSD and moral injury often are experienced simultaneously. Therefore, understanding of the differences can help clarify the steps of the healing journey.
Moral Injury and Domestic Violence: How to Recognize and Address the Psychological Wounds
Adults who have witnessed domestic violence may experience moral injury. Based on this, some possible signs and symptoms of moral injury in individuals who have experienced domestic violence may include:
1. Feelings of guilt and shame: Individuals who have experienced domestic violence may feel guilty or ashamed about their inability to prevent the violence, or their decision to stay in the relationship.
2. Loss of trust: Witnessing domestic violence can lead to a loss of trust in others, as well as in oneself.
3. Anger and resentment: Individuals who have experienced domestic violence may feel angry or resentful towards the perpetrator, as well as towards themselves for not being able to stop the violence.
4. Spiritual struggles: Witnessing domestic violence can lead to spiritual struggles, as individuals may question their faith or their understanding of right and wrong.
5. Self-blame: Individuals who have experienced domestic violence may blame themselves for the violence or feel like they somehow deserved it.
6. Avoidance: Individuals who have experienced domestic violence may try to avoid situations or people that remind them of the violence or may avoid talking about it altogether.
How Internal Family Systems (IFS), hypnotherapy, group sessions, and mindset reframing can help heal the residual emotions caused by moral injury:
Internal Family Systems (IFS): IFS can help people who have experienced moral injury by accessing their true Self-energy that is unable to be harmed. Once accessed, this Self-energy can acknowledge, accept, appreciate, and love the inner Parts within that have been injured and have created strategies for survival within the extreme roles they took on because of the experience.
Hypnotherapy: Hypnosis and work within the subconscious can help reveal inner Parts that are not able to be accessed in IFS sessions directly. Other hypnotherapy techniques such as anchors, memory reconsolidation, negative belief reframing, and strength building can be used to build capacity within the client to then proceed with deeper work within the inner system.
Group Therapy: Group therapy can be a helpful intervention for individuals who have experienced moral injury related to domestic violence. Group therapy provides a supportive and validating environment where individuals can share their experiences and learn from others who have had similar experiences.
Mindset Reframing: Mindfulness-based interventions, such as mindset reframing, breathwork, and nervous system regulation have been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms of PTSD and other trauma-related conditions. These interventions involve teaching individuals to how to use techniques to calm the nervous system to reduce the emotional overwhelm in the present moment and develop non-judgmental awareness of their thoughts and emotions.
Groups are highly effective in healing shame and moral injury:
Groups can be tremendously helpful in dealing with shame and moral injury. When individuals participate in groups with others who have experienced similar events, they can find a sense of validation and support that can help them to feel less alone and more understood.
Groups can be helpful in several ways. First, groups can provide a safe and supportive space for individuals to share their experiences and emotions without fear of judgment or rejection. This can help individuals to feel more comfortable discussing their feelings and can help them to gain new insights into their experiences.
Second, groups can help individuals to feel less isolated and more connected to others who have experienced similar events. This can be particularly important for individuals who may feel that their experiences are unique or that they are the only ones who have struggled with shame or moral injury.
Third, groups can provide a sense of shared identity and purpose, which can help individuals to feel more empowered and optimistic about their future. This can be particularly important for individuals who may feel hopeless or disconnected from their sense of self or their community.
Overall, groups can be a powerful tool for healing shame and moral injury because they provide a supportive and validating environment in which individuals can share their experiences, gain new insights, and feel more connected to others.
All my best,
Christine
Commentaires