Moral Injury in Combat: Holistic and Community Healing | STEVE GUNN | TEDxLehighRiver

Moral injury refers to an injury to an individual's moral conscience resulting from an act of perceived moral transgression which produces profound emotional shame. Steve uses his experience in Vietnam to illustrate the effects of moral injury on veterans. He advocates for community understanding and support for veterans and others suffering from moral injury. Steve Gunn is a retired social worker, psychologist and personal coach. Prior to retirement, he worked for 40 years in children’s behavioral health services. Gunn served as a conscientious objector combat medic with the 101st Airborne Division in the last major battle of the Vietnam War, the battle for Fire Support Base Ripcord. He is actively engaged with the international reconciliation efforts of Soldier’s Heart, a nonprofit group dedicated to healing the soul wounds of veterans. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at https://www.ted.com/tedx