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MORAL INJURY: ‘CARING FOR WOUNDEC SOUS WITH INVISISLL WOUNDS ATHESIS-PROJECT SUBBAII TEC TO THF FACULTY OF GORDON CONWELE THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF REQUIREMFNTS FOR THE DEGREE DOCTOR OF waINIsTRY oy JAMES HIGHHOUSE May 2086 Copyright ©2016 fy James. Highhouse. Al Rights Reserved conrents ABSTRACT Caster 1, INTRODUCTION 2. THEOLOGICA. FRAMLYORK 3. LITERATURE REVIEW 4, PROJECT DESIGN 5, QUILOMES BIBIIOGRAPLY vite 16 m1 ABSIRACT Many of Arerica’s tary veterans who have snrvea in conflts such as the Vietnam Wat, Tre Guf War, Operation sei Frceoom and Operation Endurig Freedom {Aghanistan) have suffored what are consicered invisible wounds within thelr souls known as Moral rgury, Ml can be characterize! as Feelings of hetrayal, loss of inrecence, and wounded conscience that results from the inabilly 0 reunileane's perceived valves about the world with whut they saw or were ordered to do ina combat Setting. tne intent ofthis projec is to educate the church abou what MI is and how the stusch cen support er minister to veterans who want Goa to.be their source of healing ‘and zestoratian, CHAPTER ONE INTRODUCTION My anverrmers spent over $30,000 and many months to traia me fer Vietnam, but not a penay ora day to hela me coms hame. Haw was | supposes to act civiliaud after being crated Le beat and bratalze and shen use that training against Americans? Doug, U.S Army, Miltary Polics Introduction Moral Injury (VII's an emerging. ssuc (12: aule move closer to che forefront of both current military and veteran care. Courdless ruttary members and veterans have come hum from Arrerice’s wars toa society that ne ler gerfaels home to them. They care from cory nunities arourid the eocntry to jin the military ranks. Mey ware trensforrrec into combat machines, issued ieenses to Kill on behalf of our nator, te sent to fight enenies in foreign land. Mest wha joined the avlitary brought sith chem a foutulaian of values and basic princoles of decency and resect for human ie However, meny have reportec they feel they have ost their souts ane their humanity follawing exposure tothe rasmiatic ealiies of som bat bere forced ta carry ‘out ordrs to Kil and witnessing inhumane endl criminal prattces carried out by tmemisers wearing the same uniform. shey dow’'t knaw how to reronc ther value system and consciumex: with what they did or what they saw “over there.” Tay were Tek war, one the Sou: eating Our Hoos Vetere fom Mosel Ses Bde (ovseoren a: Guest Books, 29) 2 Sent ta war being the person tney naw Lhemsafves to be, only 0 came heme nat rowing who bey ate, anymore In fact, many ave radically ehangec inta people neither they, nor anyone els, keow Countless military members have brought hame ivisib'e wouncls, better «navn 25 Move iu. Moral ojusy iM) is @ wound that camages che sou! of» person in iraumatic fashion and creates wounds that may never heat. Over the past few decades, from Vietnur <0 Iraq and Afghanistan, counlens velerans have developed a very ‘cammon cisorder called Post treumatic Stress isorder (PTSD!, However, nested ‘longs.te that cor dition is this lesser-know Meal injury. The pages that fallow explin wha fli A big concer of mine I that al miany peale inthe Christian community knaw ‘much atali about BL Which leads me to‘an even larger concen that churches and Congregations across the country have current military members and veterans attending ‘who sue foil bus neither they nor anyone i thet hore churches may even ‘know it, such less how20 deal with i Furchermore. itis disconcerting that any veterans leave the mitary end re-enter society wh hive 24 and may cUickly feel a vaid tn Pair lives that ne onemay ae abla ofl Upon consideration it became clear tant “the churen”in Arnerican society has @ ‘tremendous opportua ty to cach eu! le those who erter ther decrs swarcing Far rearing, wiio ae dcaing with wounds they may not krow chey have, ane who are sting to heal trom thers Caurches can oer a foro of doe healing that the world ‘can 79%, While the chureh carrot necessary address or casolva needy that can only be met through professionel tnerapy, itis a place wltere w suas to Find lace, pence, perspect've, and mas: af all to sonunert with Go, Many are leaded down with sef- concetpL and se'-condemration, They are unable io forgive themselves and ethers shor they feel have valle their moral cae are their sensu af righe and wropg “The questions that came out ofthe reflections on 1's research are important ta adress. ow nigh: 1 Christian community help support these men and women whose sus andl sense of rar aily ad humanity have azcn traurcatically wnuncod? How can te church help them conrect with God s» such away that they can begin a process of recovery and ealing? Hews a7 caregivers, lay ministe's, and everyay tellow believers, wha may intersect with these folks iv daly re, taciftate and occome» part af ‘he healing process Lo help them reconcile wit their wounds, wth those whn wounded ‘them, with themselves, 2rd utimately with God? Sout care i at tw Real of whist God has coled his peepla “0 effer te ane antaae. Moral Injury reeves soul care and sou rept, ane te boty of Christ is an mporsantvesse to relp facilitate that care tu broker souls waating heal and restoration Purpose “This projert has zhyeo goals. Ihe fist goal aise knowledge anc awareness of ‘Moral Injury within the Chistian commurity by oxatalning what Mil’. The second goals {a invite the Christian community such as caregivers lay ministers. and Chrisiens who feel caled and perhaps a buratn ta minister to get clreetty involved with these men and women. What right the ovscome be ifthe Christie. community took a broader snd ase direct approach to sock 0. this Furting demagraphic who are-vwithin Unsir reach and scuye of impact in order to walk wits then and la suppor them na way that fosters soui cere? God designed the church to be a caridui: of hewn wud restorat’or. A place is needed ahere the military member ean deconstruct the processes tal <icated their Min order ts construct ¢ new sense of purpose and rneuning fr their ives. “his leads tothe third gal in thar hs projecc isto 92 a volce Liat cats out 10 Christians to ain together to contact an¢ to mney wits wounded souls in such 3 way {nat helps to spark and foultate a pracess of healing within 12 sau. Thiscan happen a8 2 result of edueating and inviting the Christian community to put their ams aroun? ‘these men zad wernen in away that sens she message, “cara, How ean Lhelp?™ What le Meral injury Moral injuryis defined severa ways within the clinical realm and » just 08 beceming better known in clinical studies. In tic euthor’s eollaburative research on this issue, ine essence of Ml isa decp wolulion of ane’s mo’al code or construct a¢ a human booing. tis the wrtual shredding or stripping aviay of une's humancy and the descruction of deeply hld beliefs about whats right and wrang. It car eecur when ane is farcud to ‘commit acts or forced La witness acts tna: fundamentally alate ane traurasically waund the care of human cursciunn, In adultion, al the moral dissonance between one's idealiren valves and their true experiance, Aso result, the woune durrbs the saul ard dantages are's ability ko reconnect with life, bal bogins in the canscieace aad prows out ofthe reasoning proress into a -aclured state of morality. Moral dssorance impses the aroress ot rrera development, impairs moral judgment, aud wrickens the ably ta “ecancte. Th severity within the d-asonaree becomes che vehicle by which mora! injury alets veterans fora ffetime. The dissonance affects pegple ir various ways, such as not being able to participate In simple events, an! can tit their ability 20 cape and manag hearse, Furthermars, s90 much stimuli can harper ore's ability Lin aublic tor any lenges of ime, such a5 not being able to go to a shouping mall due so the large crowds, or even tn grasery store, Tis concilion erastes challenges that are unique ana cfficut for others who don't undlurssand Ml, Its cemman for many to reacts & powrt where “hey fee! lite a social mist or “eect, whom others wil tink of as wind and abnormal and someone to avoid. Lis dfieutt “ond for ther to wali, with typically law whe are able 10 undarstand and wilting to help them. ‘Moral injury and PTSD Ta state succinctly, Wl isnot FISD, ror a hybrid version oft. In actuality, the condition as been acound for centuries, ust hase’t ben called aati is now. While she tevenis fairy neve within miliary an cuir clinical communities, tis a separste and distinct Concilion from PTSD. At tis Line, no definitive stds haw x ante che number of service members and farts who are affected by Moral injury. Hower, # number of cent studies do aecount fara riumerical sum af troops ‘who have experienced curnbal stress, with futurc development af PTSD, Post-lraumatic Stress Disorder isa tauma-elatedinjery commonly siagnosed trom signifcanL combat scress related events. Moral Injury cares inte play when a Soler reports shat he feels ine has last his moral compass ane nv longer has the ability to Feo! any sense of ight ant wrong. He feel as Fis humanity has boon dulled to the point here ne feels lass human and move a subjeet wa-thy 6 punishment due tothe suit ey ascribe to Lhemselvesas ¢ resut of thel- combat experieare MI may nt manifest itself the same way ur fashion one expects from: PTSD. ‘According tothe National Victnam Veterans Readjustment Study, NVVRS] almost 36 percent of ale veterans met the B'agnestic ane! Statistical Manual of Neral Health 0 sorcers- Il (DSM-Il criteria fer PTSD, with 70 percent surveyed expurencing at least once thy symptoms! Tis was nearly thirty Uns the rate of civilians log ased with PTSD, Therefore, Its very eelrg thatthe higrer voter sates can be associated with tne eve of combat exposure fraquency of eragaring events in combit.? “Those vith PTSD comraanlyteelansety ane fear, causing many to worry thoe fear may sake aver their ves. Asa vesul, many attempt suicide asa way of escape Fam the corstant weight ofaninty end worry, In coma, those sure fron Ml cessentia hy srugale nestty with a sense af lass end an inability to recancile the moral lor ary ora Asai War Veterans. Pnieary Vode 1" ico sycheag Review 29 (2008 385 7G, Pasataan shi, Aci in vera, Combat Pet re etna oh Seber, 1254, 108, 2