17 | Shame Off You
Let’s talk about shame.
It’s a real deal, and it impacts a lot of us…
🤷♂️
Whereas PTSD is primarily and soul hurt (read: emotions), Moral Injury is a primarily a spirit hurt (read: conscience.
It’s important to note the differences…
… because any part of us can be injured. And, the part that is injured is the part that needs to be healed.
A lot of us are walking around with wounded spirits…
❤️🩹
The term for a wounded spirit / conscience is “Moral Injury.”
Moral Injury CAN occur from the “bads we commit” AND the “goods we omit,” but life is far more nuanced that just “doing the right thing and avoiding the wrong thing.”
So, in this talk, we highlight nine different ways Moral Injury occurs.
Note: these examples are not meant to provide an exhaustive list— but simply to show examples.
👇
Here are the nine we discuss:
1️⃣ You do the right thing but it’s an ethical “wrong” in another environment (38:05).
Example: J.T., firing his weapon, to “take out” an insurgent
2️⃣ You neglect doing something “good” or something you feel you should have done (39:32).
Re: Danny’s experience in Vietnam.
3️⃣ You do something good but a bad outcome happens (40:46).
The airplane he was piloting crashed. He survived but over a dozen others did not.
4️⃣ You don't do something wrong at all— but you don’t recognize the signs of something bad about to occur (42:37).
Example: Chris got a promotion. He celebrated with his fire team, but got a call about 2 hours later.
5️⃣ You survived something, yet someone else was injured or killed (43:56).
Example: Jonathan’s training officer delivered a warrant on one of Jonathan’s regular off days.
Example: Father Ed… and survivor’s guilt
6️⃣ You’re the victim— something happens to you, yet you still feel guilt & shame (46:47).
Example: She was the victim of military sexual trauma (repeated rape).
7️⃣ You try to help but you don’t succeed (48:37).
Example: The fireman went the “wrong way” in the house fire. They discovered there was someone in the opposite side of the house, after the fact.
Example: The tank accident
8️⃣ You think you could have helped, but you were ordered to stand down (51:21).
Example: Rachel had orders to wait until law enforcement cleared the scene of the shooting, while two victims awaited her.
9️⃣ You see something that defies all moral & ethical sensibility (54:03).
Example: Jackson received a call, and went to help the victim at her neighbor’s front porch.
👇
This not an exhaustive list of the ways Moral Injury can occur— it’s a list of ways that is HAS occurred.)
Notice that the common denominator in each of these is NOT “fight or flight” (like PTSD). It’s “guilt and/or shame.”
In other words, it’s a spiritual/conscience hurt— NOT a soul/emotional hurt.
😳
How does it impact many of us?
Well…
… we get raw about it towards the end.
_________________
📺 Some of the videos referenced in this talk =
— The longer video training on Moral Injury = https://www.gy6.online/blog/MI
— The “Emotional Wholeness Checklist” video = https://www.gy6.online/blog/EWC
— Rachel’s story about being ordered to stand down = https://www.gy6.online/blog/02
— Jackson’s story about the girl who was attacked by her mother with a machete = https://www.gy6.online/blog/35
_________________
Next best steps from here…
📳 Access the free “best of” Soul Wholeness audiobook here = https://www.jenkins.tv/best
📕 Purchase an advanced / pre-release copy of GY6 = https://www.gy6.online/AC
⭐️ Training events related to GY6 = go to https://www.gy6.online/store
💜 Access the Freedom March / 5 week self-study to walk in emotional healing = https://www.jenkins.tv/FM
💥 Work with me 1:1 via coaching = https://www.jenkins.tv/PC
