The Numinous Podcast TNP233 Understanding Moral Injury with Dr.Robyn Walser
We're not afraid of grappling with the tough stuff here on The Numinous Podcast! In this episode we're engaging with high stakes violations of values and betrayals that lead to Moral Injury.
Moral Injury can occur when you do or fail to do something, when you witness something, or when you hear about something after the fact, that violates your deeply held beliefs and values in a high stakes context.
Certainly healthcare practitioners and mental health professionals will be interested in this discussion, but also anyone who has grappled with moral emotions like outrage, shame, guilt, and remorse.
Moral injury is a social wound that helps the collective stay co-operative. Grappling with Moral Injury is a civic responsibility – a moral obligation as our guest says – and a sign of a healthy pro-social individual.
Our guest on this episode is Dr.Robyn Walser, a licensed psychologist and co-author of 7 books on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (commonly known as ACT). She has most recently written a book entitled,The Heart of ACT: Developing a Flexible, Process-Based, and Client-Centered Practice Using Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. She’s an Assistant Professor at the University of California, Berkeley, the Director of TL Psychological and Consultation Services, and works at the National Center for PTSD. Dr. Walser has been offering ACT workshops since 1998.
Referenced in this episode
Case Conceptualizing in Acceptance and Commitment therapy for Moral Injury: An Active and On-Going Approach to Understanding and Intervening on Moral Injury, by Jacob Farnsworth, Lauren Borges, Sean Barnes and Kent Drescher and Robyn Walser
The Moral Injury Workbook: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Skills for Moving Beyond Shame, Anger and Trauma to Reclaim Your Values by Robyn Walser, Wyatt Evans, Kent Drescher, Jacob Farnsworth
The Heart of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: A Talk by Robyn Walser (YouTube)
The Moral Injury Course
• Become a member of The Numinous Network and begin a supportive somatic practice ahead of the live sessions. Group somatic practice sessions happen Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays.
• If appropriate, begin The Safe & Sound Protocol (included in membership) to support nervous system resilience.
• Attend the live sessions, starting in June. Live Sessions form a sequential series of psychoeducation and progressively layered activities:
Friday, June 28, 10-11am PT
Saturday, June 29, 9-9:45am PT
Sunday, June 30, 10-10:45am PT
Monday, July 1, 10-10:30am PT (optional for additional or catch-up work)
Fridays, July 5, 12, 19, 26, 10-11am PT
Live sessions will be recorded and archived for later viewing at your convenience.
• Optional: Stay on with us for aftercare! In August, we're streamlining the calendar and focusing on somatic practice and weightlifting. (Discharging anger by lifting heavy shit!) In September, the full calendar of events is back up and running, with additional SSP co-listening sessions to support nervous system regulation ahead of the American election season.
The Moral Injury course is included in Numinous Network membership which is offered at a sliding scale from $45 - $75 US per month, providing access to over 30 live events and over 50 hours of video on-demand.
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