Repairing the roots of moral injury
Psychologist Michael Valdovinos felt the pain of moral injury when serving in Afghanistan. His book is Moral Injuries: When Good Conscience Suffers in a World of Hurt
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Moral injury has been described as a wound to our conscience when we act in ways that violate our deeply held beliefs. The term was first used to describe the distress experienced by veterans of war who felt forced to do what they believed was wrong.
Today, moral injury has been recognized in civilian life as well. The shame and guilt of failing to live up to one’s values can lead someone to believe they are a bad person.
Next time on The Connection…understanding and repairing the roots of moral injury. Our guest is psychologist Michael Valdovinos who felt the pain of his own moral injury when serving in Afghanistan. He’s written a book about that experience, the generational toll of moral injury and the steps to recovery. It’s titled Moral Injuries: When Good Conscience Suffers in a World of Hurt.
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