Everyone runs on a code, whether they wrote it down or not. Trauma can crack it: you did something that violated it, saw others violate it, or were betrayed by the people who taught it to you. This chapter is about examining that code and deciding what you keep.
Values clarification has solid support as part of ACT. Moral injury is recognized in research but is not a formal diagnosis; treatments built for it, such as Adaptive Disclosure, are still emerging, and standard PTSD therapies don't always reach it.
| Source | What it feels like |
|---|---|
| Something I did | Guilt, shame, "I'm a bad person." |
| Something I saw or couldn't stop | Disgust, helplessness, "the world is rotten." |
| Betrayal by leadership or institutions | Rage, distrust, "nobody can be trusted." |
Moral injury hurts because you have a code. People without one don't feel this kind of pain.
| 01 | List your rulesWrite the rules you live by: "Never quit." "Take care of your people." "Never show weakness." | 10 min |
| 02 | Trace each oneWhere did it come from? Service, family, faith, a coach, survival? | 10 min |
| 03 | Sort issued from chosenMark each: does it still serve who you want to be, or was it built for a situation that's over? | 10 min |
| 04 | Rewrite as valuesTurn rigid rules into directions. "Never show weakness" might become "be someone people can rely on." | 10 min |
| 05 | Write your codeThree to five lines. Put it where you'll see it. | 5 min |
For many people the code is rooted in faith, and trauma can shake that too. Chaplains and faith leaders are often the first people someone confides in, and many are trained in moral injury. Spiritual care is a legitimate part of recovery, whatever your tradition, or none.
| ✕ | Fault: Throwing out the whole codeCorrection: The code didn't fail you everywhere. Keep what still holds. |
| ✕ | Fault: Treating values as a scorecardCorrection: Values are a direction, not a pass/fail test. You will miss them; you turn back toward them. |
| ✕ | Fault: Carrying guilt aloneCorrection: Moral injury heals through being heard. It needs a witness. |
Ask a therapist directly about moral injury and whether they work with it. Chaplains, including VA chaplains, are confidential and trained for these conversations.