Religious and Spiritual Dimensions of Trauma, Resilience, and Post-traumatic Growth
Warren Kinghorn, M.D., Th.D., Duke University
Frauke Schaefer, MD, Duke University Medical Center
John Peteet, MD, Harvard Medical School (moderator)
Trauma, and recovery from significant trauma, often has existential, moral, and spiritual dimensions. In this panel session we explore ways that the moral dimension of combat trauma requires mental health clinicians to consider religious, spiritual and moral concerns; empirical and clinical literature on the role of spiritual factors in recovery from trauma and in post-traumatic growth; and the role of faith in the development and display of resilience following disasters.
Presentation #1: Religious Dimensions of Moral Injury in War
Many combat veterans with severe post-traumatic stress suffer not primarily from what happened to them in war but, more specifically, from what they did or participated in while at war; this agent-centered form of traumatic stress is increasingly referred to as “moral injury.” This common clinical phenomenon, however, can only be understood in the light of soldiers’ and veterans’ orienting moral commitments, often themselves informed by religious/spiritual concerns, since these commitments determine why particular actions (such as certain types of killing) are experienced as traumatic. The first presenter will describe and critically evaluate the contemporary “moral injury” construct and will show how attention to religious and spiritual concerns, long effaced within contemporary PTSD research, can be transformative for understanding the experience of some traumatized combat veterans and also helpful in suggesting pathways to meaningful recovery.
Presentation #2: Spiritual Factors and the Consequences of Trauma - A Model of the Interrelationship
The model presented is based on a review of empirical research examining the relationship of religious and spiritual factors with post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth. Certain religious and spiritual pre-trauma characteristics provide a lens through which the traumatic event is perceived and appraised. Some patterns of religious coping are helpful while others are not. Spiritual community support can be rich in resources and in opportunities for restoration, growth, and deepening of faith. Finding ways to accept and express strong and difficult feelings, including confusing feelings towards God, is important for the personal struggle after trauma. Whether or not a person finds a way to forgive influences their emotional distress. The identified religious and spiritual factors provide a guideline for preventive and restorative care for those affected by trauma.
Frauke Schaefer, MD, Duke University Medical Center
John Peteet, MD, Harvard Medical School (moderator)
Trauma, and recovery from significant trauma, often has existential, moral, and spiritual dimensions. In this panel session we explore ways that the moral dimension of combat trauma requires mental health clinicians to consider religious, spiritual and moral concerns; empirical and clinical literature on the role of spiritual factors in recovery from trauma and in post-traumatic growth; and the role of faith in the development and display of resilience following disasters.
Presentation #1: Religious Dimensions of Moral Injury in War
Many combat veterans with severe post-traumatic stress suffer not primarily from what happened to them in war but, more specifically, from what they did or participated in while at war; this agent-centered form of traumatic stress is increasingly referred to as “moral injury.” This common clinical phenomenon, however, can only be understood in the light of soldiers’ and veterans’ orienting moral commitments, often themselves informed by religious/spiritual concerns, since these commitments determine why particular actions (such as certain types of killing) are experienced as traumatic. The first presenter will describe and critically evaluate the contemporary “moral injury” construct and will show how attention to religious and spiritual concerns, long effaced within contemporary PTSD research, can be transformative for understanding the experience of some traumatized combat veterans and also helpful in suggesting pathways to meaningful recovery.
Presentation #2: Spiritual Factors and the Consequences of Trauma - A Model of the Interrelationship
The model presented is based on a review of empirical research examining the relationship of religious and spiritual factors with post-traumatic stress and post-traumatic growth. Certain religious and spiritual pre-trauma characteristics provide a lens through which the traumatic event is perceived and appraised. Some patterns of religious coping are helpful while others are not. Spiritual community support can be rich in resources and in opportunities for restoration, growth, and deepening of faith. Finding ways to accept and express strong and difficult feelings, including confusing feelings towards God, is important for the personal struggle after trauma. Whether or not a person finds a way to forgive influences their emotional distress. The identified religious and spiritual factors provide a guideline for preventive and restorative care for those affected by trauma.