Michael Belton asked me to talk about Moral Injury… a “lesser known” (but probably “more lethal”) invisible wound than PTSD.
So, we compare and contrast PTSD with Moral Injury to set the stage.
Moral Injury feels different, because Moral Injury starts differently than PTSD. Whereas PTSD is a response to external “triggers” (you can remove yourself from the situation or avoid certain scenarios) Moral Injury goes with you. Moral Injury IS you.
You’ve probably heard the saying "Wherever you go, there you are.” When the issue is “in you” (i.e., your conscience, your spirit), you can’t fight it or run from it.
Note the key distinctions between the PTSD and Moral Injury:
Is a reaction to external threatsTakes the form of fight, flight, freeze, or fawnGenerally occurs when triggeredIs a response to internal “threats”Takes the form of guilt & shameMay be constant— not just when triggeredAgain, Moral Injury is not PTSD, and PTSD is not Moral Injury.
You must heal the KIND of hurt you have.
If you don’t identify the kind of hurt you have and also implement the correct healing protocols for that specific wound, then—
The healing protocol will be ineffectiveThe hurt will remainThe injured person may feel “un-heal-able”The injured person may reach the point of despair and “give up”For clarity, even though every “part” of you impacts the others (interdependent realization), hurts generally occur in the ways listed above. If multiple types of hurts are present, we must address each of them in their own way.
See the GY6 resources, referenced here: www.GY6.online/FG
Upcoming GY6 workshops = www.GY6.online/events
Differences between PTSD and Moral Injury
Ten ways Moral Injury happens = https://www.gy6.online/blog/ten
PTSD or Moral Injury = https://www.gy6.online/blog/MI
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