HEALING
edented. It’s a slow process, and
I am very proud of the fact that
we have brought science to bear,”
he said. Speaking of the results
of new research on experimental
therapies, he added: “You can’t
argue with a clinical trial.”
‘I SEE INCREDIBLE GOODNESS’
At the San Diego Naval Medical
Center, the eight-week moral injury/moral repair program begins
with time devoted simply to allowing patients to feel comfortable and
safe in a small group. Eventually,
each is asked to relate his or her
story, often a raw, emotional experience for those reluctant to acknowledge the source of their pain.
The idea is to drag it out into the
open so that it can be dealt with.
The group is instructed to listen
and respond with support but not
judgment, neither condemning nor
excusing what happened. Whatever
caused the moral injury, Amidon
said, “we are not going to brush it
aside. It did happen and it wasn’t
OK. The point is to help them feel
OK sitting in the darkness with the
evil they experienced.”
Often, patients feel guilty or
ashamed, convinced they are unforgiven, worthless and impure.
In one recent session, a soldier
HUFFINGTON
03.16-23.14
rose hesitantly and told of a firefight in Iraq. Insurgents had suddenly rushed toward him using
women and children as shields.
“He had about three-quarters of a
second to decide, and of course he
killed,” Michael Castellana, a staff
psychotherapist and co-facilitator
of the group, recounted.
“When he arrived home, coming off the plane, his wife handed
him his new baby daughter. She
put the baby in his arms and he
immediately gave the baby back
“I have all this guilt inside me and
I want to let it out but I can’t. I wan