Trauma can wound more than the psyche—it can wound the soul. Mental Health First Aid Israel is increasingly addressing a phenomenon known as moral injury: the deep distress that arises when a person experiences, perpetrates, or witnesses acts that violate their deeply held beliefs.
For soldiers, this might mean guilt over actions taken in combat. For survivors, it might be shame over not saving others. For witnesses, it might be a sense that the world is fundamentally unjust.
Moral injury doesn't fit neatly into traditional PTSD categories. It requires a different kind of healing—one that includes space for confession, forgiveness (of self or others), and spiritual reckoning.
MHFA Israel partners with rabbis, chaplains, and ethical counselors to help individuals navigate these waters. Healing begins when shame can be spoken aloud.
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