Recognizing and Treating Moral Injury - with Bill Nash, MD

Moral injury is not necessarily a new phenomenon in the human experience, but it’s a relatively young concept in the field of psychology.
The research is still evolving - but we’re discovering more about the overlapping similarities and key differences between moral injury and PTSD.
And as leading researchers like Bill Nash, MD uncover more insights, they’re finding that conventional trauma interventions may not be fully effective in treating this form of trauma.
In the video, Bill shares an example of a moral injury and how trauma symptoms can persist if we don’t account for it in treatment.
You can read the full blog and more from NICABM here: www.nicabm.com/moral-injury/

[@chinookvalley]

A doktor butchered me. He was supposed to do a tiny biopsy, but he pulled off a HUGE area of flesh and never biopsied it. I was awake. I've lived with nightmares ever since, nerve damage, MRSA, and the fear of still having cancer. He thot he was god. He never apologized and he was wacked out during the surgery. I have been told numerous times by his peers he was high on cocaine. He has no MORAL EMOTION. He should be in prison, but I couldn't find an attorney to take the case. How do we get over these horrid atrocities if the people responsible - aren't held responsible?

[@AA-eq2zq]

Going to local or otherwise journalists is in many cases what helps when official systems have failed (and what may set them in motion too). You can stay anonymous and at bare minimum people can know the name of this man and prevent their own suffering. I'm so sorry you've suffered something so horrible. I wish you a kind future.

[@nnylasoR]

THANK YOU FOR THIS.

[@mailill]

I feel sad for this family and the father and the child. The lesson from this should be: All dog are natural predators and should never, ever, be alone with young children, no matter if you feel you can trust the dogs. My impression is, dogs don't always understand what a toddler is, and some react with fear and/or aggression, or just a burst of predator instinct. . I kind of wish I hadn't seen this video, as I am already scared of dogs and really don't need more horror stories. The reason for my fear is that I have known several dogs belonging to others that ended up hurting/biting somebody seemingly out of the blue, but with a history of increasingly neurotic/aggressive behaviour. My impression is that so many dog owners are not really capable of training or controlling dogs - and also don't give them enough exercise and also let them be alone too much - and that they don't take problematic behaviour seriously until something really bad happens, and that they are taking risks with other people's safety. Also, many tend to buy/get breeds that should only be owned by people with special skills. In my aerea there are so many huge dogs of "sharp" or difficult breeds, and I am glad I don't have small children here. Sorry about ranting off topic, but I get so triggered by all these stories. Edit: I would of course not rant like this to a father that has experienced the family dog hurting his child, it is not something he needs to hear.

[@AG-rw8eg]

Can you define moral injury please?

[@Brian-gw5hg]

Essentially a moral injury is violation of ones deeply held moral beliefs. These violations may come about through action or inaction of the individual or others with whom the individual is [morally] affiliated. These violations result in a profound moral, emotional pain that manifest in many of (but not limited to) the symptoms found in criterion of PTSD from the DSM-5. Critical events that include things like prescribed killing, betrayal by a trusted other, Standard Operating Procedures which limit one's ability to act "justly" are common Potentially Morally Injurious Events.

[@Knifymoloko]

​@@Brian-gw5hgexcellent definition. Thank you

[@gaurs230]

yeah i for me it was growing up with

[@Knifymoloko]

So this is the crux of PTSD it seems like

[@Brian-gw5hg]

You might think of Morale Injury as one of three common "harms" that a person must deal with following a critical stressor event. These include some combination of: 1. Moral Injury 2. Threat to Life 3. Traumatic loss of an essential other person Number 2 and 3 are "typical" Criterion A events related to the PTSD diagnosis, and Moral Injury is often present with PTSD, but it can also be thought of as distinct from PTSD.