Life After Moral Transgressions: The Lived Experience of Veterans Following Moral Injuries

This study examines the question, “what themes emerge in the lived experience of Canadian veterans of active warzones after they encounter moral injuries?” A descriptive phenomenological approach was adapted to conduct a secondary analysis of life narratives from three Canadian veterans who were deployed in active warzones during the mid-2000s. Literature on moral injuries primarily relies on a priori conceptualizations and quantitative methods. This project takes an alternative stance by investigating the lived experience of individuals following morally injurious events and representing the revealed themes through thick descriptions. Four shared themes were identified: (a) loss of old self, (b) feeling misunderstood, (c) commitment to new purpose, and (d) enhanced acceptance of self. This thematic structure offers researchers and clinicians opportunities to bring into focus experiential horizons that are transformed through suffering and growth which arise with moral injuries.