BELLE FOURCHE—A small crowd braved the negative temperatures on Wednesday, February 19 to hear Michael Dover speak about Moral Injury at this month’s Lunch & Learn seminar, hosted by Grap’s Burgers & Brews and the Belle Fourche Chamber of Commerce. Dover, a veteran and moral injury specialist with the Volunteers of America, Northern Rockies, spent the lunch hour explaining the concept of moral injury and how this phenomenon can affect not only veterans, but first responders and more.
Moral injury, according to Dover, is closely related to PTSD; however, while PTSD is a fear-based response, moral injury has to do with a person’s emotional or spiritual response to trauma they have experienced. It results from perpetrating, failing to act, or witnessing an act that goes against one’s deeply held values—for example, a soldier participating in combat that results in taking another person’s life. 40% of combat veterans have experienced moral injury; left unaddressed, it can result in isolation, grief, guilt, shame, flashbacks, drug or alcohol abuse, emotional distress, and suicidal ideation.
“So what do we do about it?” said Dover. “We’ll take a group of veterans that’s never met before, sit them down with other veterans, and we talk. We guide the conversation, but the therapy is the talking. It’s being heard.” Through the peer support groups and weekend retreats offered by the VOA, veterans can learn to acknowledge their moral injury trauma and eventually move forward. Since 2023, 244 individuals participated in either weekly small groups or a weekend retreat experience. Of these participants, 61.7% demonstrated a significant reduction in depression, 95.4% self-reported feeling that their mental health improved, 55% reported a lower moral distress, and 96.2% were very or extremely satisfied with the services provided.
Dover explained that there are VOA moral injury support groups in the Northern Hills area, but none in Belle Fourche specifically as of right now. However, he would be happy to start a local group if enough people are interested. At least four veterans and two volunteer facilitators are required to start a weekly group. If you are interested in joining or being a facilitator, you can contact Michael Dover by email at [email protected] or call 605-341-8336. Additionally, free veteran moral injury retreats will be held June 6-8 in Rapid City, SD, Burgess Junction, WY, Cody, WY, and Whitefish, MT. For more information on these retreats and to apply, you can visit voanr.org/services/mi-retreats or email [email protected].
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