PTSD and Moral Injury in Scripture

1. Definitions
2. PTSD: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a psychiatric disorder that may occur in people who have experienced or witnessed a traumatic event, series of events or set of circumstances. An individual may experience this as emotionally or physically harmful or life-threatening and may affect mental, physical, social, and/or spiritual well-being. Examples include natural disasters, serious accidents, terrorist acts, war/combat, rape/sexual assault, historical trauma, intimate partner violence and bullying. (American Psychiatric Association)
3. Moral Injury:
4. The lasting psychological, biological, spiritual, behavioral and social impact of perpetrating, failing to prevent, bearing witness to, or learning about acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations. (Brett Litz)
5. A betrayal of ‘what’s right’ by someone who holds legitimate authority in a high stakes situation. (Jonathan Shay)
6. Case Studies
7. Old Testament
8. King Saul (1 Sam 9-31): God required absolute loyalty from Saul, but Saul demonstrated conflicting loyalties to his duty as a king and commander, to the troops, and especially to God. His textbook example of complex PTSD saw the social trust of others become destroyed.
9. 1 Sam 13: Saul usurps Samuel’s role in offering a sacrifice before battle.
10. 1 Sam 16: Saul twice attempts to kill David with a spear. Saul’s PTSD symptoms worsened and included negative thoughts and feelings, reckless and destructive behaviors, and exaggerated blame of others.
11. 1 Sam 28: Saul attempts to obtain guidance from Samuel by consulting with a medium after outlawing mediums in Israel.
12. King David
13. 2 Sam 11-12:23; 1 Chr 20: King David transgressed his morals and beliefs and resorted to murder to cover up the shame of his infidelity. When confronted by Nathan the Prophet, David confesses and repents.
14. 2 Sam 15-18: A son he alienated attempted a coup and was killed.
15. 2 Sam 24; 1 Chr 21: Against God’s will, David ordered a census of men showing a greater trust in numbers than in God. God’s judgment of this disobedience cost many of his people’s lives in a plague.
16. Joab, David’s nephew and Commanding General
17. 2 Sam 3: Joab murdered Abner, the military chief of David’s enemies, after David had made peace with Abner.
18. 2 Sam 11: When David ordered the death of Uriah the Hittite, it was Joab who carried out the order. Uriah was Joab’s armor bearer.
19. 2 Sam 18: Joab murdered King David’s son Absalom.
20. Uriah 2 Sam 14 (death), betrayed by:
21. King David
22. Bathsheba, his wife
23. Joab, his commanding officer
24. Fellow soldiers
25. New Testament
26. Peter
27. Matt 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:55-61; John 21:15-27: Peter denies Christ 3 times.
28. John 21:15-17: Jesus forgives and restores Peter
29. Judas
30. John 12:6: Uses the Disciples treasury for personal desires.
31. Matt 26:14-15; Mark 14:10; Luke 22:3-4: Offers to betray Jesus.
32. Matt 26:15; Mark 14:11; Luke 22:5: Paid thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus (Zech 11:12, same amount for a slave accidently gored to death).
33. Matt 26:49; Mark 14:45: Betrays Jesus.
34. Matt 27:5: Suicides.
35. Treatments from Scripture
36. Ritual:
37. When men went off to war, there were often prescribed actions which must take place before the soldiers were allowed back into their communities and houses of worship. These actions were taken for the soldier to process through what had happened on the battlefield and how those actions, while most likely necessary, were to be reconciled to their community, family, and God.
38. Num 31: 19-24
39. Lament:
40. A passionate expression of sorrow, mourning, regret, and repentance. Laments in Scripture show a desire to see the fulfillment of God’s promises and the establishment of His worship by those who are hurting.
41. Ex. Pss 16, 22, 32, 51, 73, 88, 116, 139
42. Four issues often discussed in the healing moral injury: learning forgiveness of self and others, contextualizing events, distributing responsibility fairly, and engaging in acts of hope and repair. All can be found in Scripture. These may include ceremonies and rituals relating to symbolic purification and the building of community through shared responsibility and participation.
43. The Model of Christ: The Restoration of Peter and Saul through the confrontation of the sin, confession and repentance, forgiveness, restoration, and purpose.
44. John 21:15-17: Restoration of Peter
45. Acts 9: Calling of Saul/Paul
46. Treatments Today
47. Pastoral Counseling
48. Church Community
49. Mental Healthcare
50. Group Care
51. Building Spiritual Strength (VA) https://marketplace.va.gov/innovations/building-spiritual-strength
52. Reboot Recovery https://rebootrecovery.com

Questions:

1. Out of this discussion, what have you identified with the most?
2. Out of this discussion, what has convicted you the most?
3. Do you know someone who is a modern-day Saul, David, Joab, Uriah, Peter, or Judas?
4. What do you think of rituals to helps those with moral injury?
5. What would be the benefit of writing a lament in your own words based on a lament in Scripture?
6. How could each of us model Christ’s model of confrontation?
7. How could the Church better embrace those with PTSD and moral injury?