"Return: Life after Moral Injury" by Marcus Farris. A Review

 

I've been hearing a bit about moral injury for combat veterans for a while, so I was interested in this book for myself and any others I cross paths with. Marcus Farris, health coach and post-traumatic growth director for Mission 22 and an officer in the Reserves, has compiled a helpful manual for those dealing with forms of PTSD and moral injury. "Return: Life after Moral Injury" is a 264-page hardback that is nicely illustrated by Emily Mills. The illustrations turn from sketchy black-and-white at the beginning to colorful pieces, exhibiting how a reader can be changing and becoming healthier as they work through the book. I loved that quiet little visual nuance. 

Much of the work seems to be based on archetype stories that run through ancient classics, such as the Iliad, the Epic of Gilgamesh, the Bible, and other sources. But also archetypes in more modern renditions such as Marvel's series The Avengers, and more. The book had a Jordan Peterson-esque flavor to me, and the influence of Carl Jung in these pages made it feel even more so. That's not a negative; it's just something I simply picked up on, and observed a number of similarities.

Farris notes the way moral injury comes about, and how it feels. "We orient around a story which provides a coherent enough rule set - a moral code to live by - such that we can live lives with worth, direction, and animation. When that story is unable to account for crisis and fails to allow us to comprehend a situation we encounter, this is called "moral injury." Moral injury describes an event or series of events that severely damages an individual's moral landscape of the world" (63). It seemed to me that this is right, whether talking with combat veterans or victims of sexual abuse.

Inside of the long, wordy explanations, Farris gave loads of helpful directions on dealing with moral injury, pain, post-traumatic stress, and more. The practical guidance actually looks useful for most people who are 'healthy' or tackled by mental difficulties. Many of them are not just cognitive, but also physical. By way of example, as Farris was working through various aspects of making his suggestions real, he comes to some graspable concepts. Such as, recognizing F.E.A.R. or 'False Evidence Appearing Real.' Then there's the role of acceptance and forgivingness to help us not fall into the pit of coming to believe "that the only way to get our needs met is by manufacturing a crisis" (144). Good stuff, much of it a very hands-on approach.

But I think what I appreciated the most was how he dealt with gratitude. At so many levels - socially as well as individually - he hits a homerun with this: "Gratitude must also be a conscious practice because our threat detection systems cling to survival based negativity far more readily than they cling to emotions of gratitude" (161). Think of how our "threat detection systems" are being toyed with, and lit-up, by media and politicians and how much we are being played by anger and anxiety. When this happens we lose our ability to interact safely and civilly with others. Not only is this the case socially, it also happens individually, where we find ourselves striking out in fight-or-flight. But hammering gratitude, awe, appreciation, thankfulness for the good things we often discount and ignore, can change some of our outcomes. Good call, Farris!

I appreciate the author sending me a copy of "Return" at my request. Though at times things get a bit wordy, nevertheless I think anyone wanting to help others who have been traumatized, injured morally, or even co-opted by severe forms of anxiety, will find this a beneficial resource. Here is a book I happily recommend.