Our military service members and veterans believe in sacrifice and service. They take an oath to support and defend, they risk their lives, make split-second decisions, and may find themselves precariously walking along a tightrope trying to balance their sense of spirituality and morality with mission objectives. Many of us are very familiar with the physical and mental injuries that can result from war, but less talked about are the moral and spiritual injuries. A moral or spiritual injury of this nature has been described by many as a shattering of the soul and requires a different understanding and approach than PTSD or other traditional mental health treatments. Whereas with PTSD the need not being met is safety, with moral/spiritual injury, the need not being met is trust, which can have a huge impact on relationships.
At the Veteran Spouse Network, we believe in the whole person concept of mind, body, & soul, and in this month’s focus for EmpowerEd we will expand our discussion on Spiritual and Moral Injury in Relationships by welcoming Dr. Rev. Clyde Angel. Dr. Rev. Clyde Angel is a retired Veterans Affairs Chaplain, who held the position of Chief Chaplain and national program coordinator for the Warrior to Soulmate program which assisted veteran couples to work on communication skills. He is a licensed professional counselor and has years of experience counseling veterans and couples struggling with PTSD and spiritual injury.
If you would like to take this conversation further, on Tuesday, Feb 13, 2024 at 12 pm CT, the VSN will host a peer support complement event with VSN peer leaders, Emma Martin & Sue Watson. They will discuss learning points from the EmpowerEd presentation, and lead a discussion about moral injury from the peer perspective. Register HERE.
The EmpowerEd trainings/seminars are open to the wider military-affiliated community and are offered Free of charge. Encouraged participants include the spouse or partner of an active duty service member or post-service veteran, a caregiver or divorced spouse from a veteran or active duty service member, or an active duty service member or veteran.
