Spirituality and Moral Injury
Quotes:
1)"The things you saw and the things you did bother you but the worst is the things you did. They bother you a lot more than what is done to you." Korean War fighter pilot and POW for nearly one year.
2)"The worst thing for me was the people I killed including a woman with a radio between her and the baby on her back. The mentality of an American makes it really hard to kill a woman and live with it. The memories of those I killed haunt me the most." Korean War infantry officer and VN War helicopter pilot and airmobile leader.
3)"I don't love anybody anymore. I like some people but it seems I won't let myself love anyone again. All the killing hardened me up. It affects your marriage. It affected mine." WWII Naval airman.
4)"You feel better when you are giving your time to help others. It takes your mind off the bad stuff. It is better to try to save and help than to kill." WWII Marine at Peleliu and Okinawa.
5)"You have to give up even justified bitterness and hate to fully heal the emotional and spiritual wounds of war." VN War Special Forces Officer of 3 tours in SE Asia.
6)"The reason I was afraid getting off the boat coming home in 1952 was I felt like I had left my poor soul in Korea! THAT'S NOT GOOD!" Korean War teenage infantryman.
7)"We were regular churchgoers before the war. He was a good Christian. He could never understand after the war how God could forgive him for all he had seen and done. It changed our life in that respect. He felt like a hypocrite going to church. We tried to go together for a while but he was just too uncomfortable." Wife of 10th Mountain Division infantryman from WWII.
What causes the greatest moral injuries—the "breaking of the Geneva Convention of the Soul"?
1)Killing the rehumanized enemy
2)Killing civilians in the battlefield ("collateral damage")
3)Killing each other in "friendly fire" incidents
4)Killing with hate and rage
5)"Battlefield Justice" killings
6)Breaking the soldier's trust—letting down your buddies in any way that causes them harm or death.
Curative factors:
1)Stopping the pursuit of numbing and hiding whether through substance abuse or avoidance.
2)Telling the story fully, truthfully and honestly (the therapist has to listen, listen, and listen).
3)Finding you are not alone
4)"Searching moral inventory"
5)Helping others—especially turning your experiences into learning for others.
6)Understanding and practicing mercy and then forgiveness of others and eventually yourself.
7)Reconnecting spiritually at a deeper and more personal level than ever before
8)Being loved and loving again
Cases from our current wars and many past ones. How do we successfully approach these issues as therapist?