What is moral injury, and how does it affect veterans, first responders, defence personnel and the wider community?
In Episode 79 of The Grey Man Podcast, we sit down with Dr Nikki Jamieson, a suicidologist, social worker and leading voice in the field of moral injury, to explore the experiences that can leave people questioning their values, identity, relationships and sense of self.
Nikki shares her deeply personal journey through grief, suicide loss and lived experience, and explains how those experiences shaped her work in suicide prevention and moral injury research.
We discuss: • What moral injury actually is and how it differs from PTSD • How betrayal, guilt, shame and loss of trust can contribute to moral injury • The connection between moral injury and suicide • Why military identity and the transition to civilian life can be so challenging • Institutional betrayal and the impact of systems on veterans • The importance of lived experience in suicide prevention • How families, friends and colleagues can recognise when someone is struggling • Moral injury across defence, first responders, healthcare and other professions • The role of early intervention, connection and human-to-human support • Why moral injury can affect workplaces and organisational culture • How people can move towards recovery, repair and transformation Nikki also discusses the growing recognition of moral injury and why giving people the language to understand their experiences can be an important step towards getting the right support.
🎙️ The Grey Man Podcast — Episode 79 with Dr Nikki Jamieson.
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