Spiritual Features of War-Related Moral Injury

Warzone experiences that violate deeply held moral beliefs and expectations may lead to moral injury and associated spiritual distress (Litz et al., 2009). Helping morally injured war veterans who are grappling with spiritual or religious issues is part of multicultural competence (Vieten et al., 2013) and falls within the scope of practice of mental health clinicians. Moreover, practicing clinicians report that they lack adequate knowledge of the diverse spiritual and religious backgrounds of their clients and when to seek consultation from and collaborate with spiritual/religious teachers (Vieten et al., 2016). We argue that optimal assessment and treatment of psychically traumatized military personnel and veterans requires an understanding of the idioms and perspectives of various spiritual (religious and philosophical) traditions on transgression and their recommendations for forgiveness and healing. To this end, we (a) provide an overview of the source of moral codes associated with various traditions, (b) discuss aspects of warzone events that may violate those moral codes and spiritual reactions to those violations, (c) describe spiritual traditions’ approaches to making amends for transgressions, and (d) provide brief case scenarios that illustrate spiritual features of moral injury and point to circumstances in which collaboration with chaplains or clergy may be helpful for addressing aspects of moral injury.