SCOTT OLSON/GETTY IMAGES
HEALING
they feel. They were then asked
to verbalize the response, using
their imagination. Inevitably, patients imagined being told they
were a good person at heart, that
they were forgiven, and that they
could go on to lead a good life. Of
course, these conversations rely
on imagination. But the technique
allows the patient to articulate in
his or her own words an alternative narrative about his injury.
All these approaches are designed as quick interventions, specifically intended for combat troops
who may be deployed again soon.
The goal is to provide patients with
insights and techniques to continue
the work on their own — and eventually to move beyond their injury.
Left alone, Nash said, veterans
with moral injury either conclude that “none of this is my
fault,” or “it’s all my fault.” Neither can be totally true.
“In your heart of hearts, you
know you were the one who pulled
the trigger. You can’t unring the
bell, can’t undo what was done
And that’s a time bomb,” he said.
But when patients are helped to
recognize their true share of the
blame, “you can begin to make
amends, until you get to a point
where you can forgive, and that’s
HUFFINGTON
03.16-23.14
FOR HELP WITH MORAL INJURY
OR OTHER MENTAL HEALTH ISSUES:
The Defense Centers of Excellence for Psychological Health
and Traumatic Brain Injury’s 24/7 live chat outreach center
(also at 866-966-1020 or email resources@dcoeoutreach.org).
The Pentagon website Military OneSource for short-term,
non-medical counseling.
Veterans can call, text or chat with the Veterans Crisis Line.
Dial 800-273-8255.
the ultimate challenge.”
“To be clear, what we don’t do
is to impose our moral appraisals
or judgments [on] the situation,
though we may occasionally have
them,” Matt J. Gray, a University
of Wyoming psychologist, said in
an email. Gray led a 2012 study
on therapy for moral injury and
traumatic loss among 44 Marines. “We don’t try to dispute,
minimize or explain away” a morally questionable action, he said.
“We try to help the person understand that this action or inac-