Course Description:
Moral injury, which refers to suffering due to moral emotions such as shame, guilt, remorse, outrage, despair, mistrust, and self-isolation, emerged as a concept among VA clinicians working with military combat veterans beginning in 1994 with Jonathan Shay’s Achilles in Vietnam. This session will offer some of the factors in human beings that can lead to moral injury by examining how conscience is shaped; presenting several definitions of moral injury, both clinical and cultural/religious; identifying the range of morally injurious experiences that disrupt moral identity; and explaining the relationship of moral injury to other trauma, such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
Lecture Two:
While moral injury has been in common parlance since 2010, evidence-based research on what mitigates its suffering is still in its early stages. In addition, the question of whether it should be included in the DSM as a psychological disorder is still debated. This lecture will explain what constitutes recovery from moral injury and discuss validated programs for supporting recovery from moral injury. In addition, it will discuss strategies as yet to be validated but seem promising, explore the terms of the debate about the DSM, and offer strategies for recovery that do not require a formal diagnosis, including the role of congregations and community organizations.
Course Link:
hc@gvsu.edu
CE Value (credits): 6
CE Type: Standard
Sponsor:
GVSU Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies
Contact Information:
Allie Goeddeke
616-331-7297
hc@gvsu.edu