Volunteers of America offers online program to help Veterans experiencing moral injury

The nonprofit group Volunteers of America (VOA) recognizes the challenges Veterans often face in confronting moral injury, which is essentially a conflict with one’s personal code of morality. For instance, a Veteran may feel guilt, shame, distress, or self-condemnation for violating his or her moral beliefs in combat by killing someone, witnessing death, or failing to prevent the immoral acts of others.

VOA is offering Veterans free access to an online program that allows them to share their stories of moral injury and to connect with and support other Veterans. VOA|ReST 4 VETS is a confidential virtual peer support program open to all Veterans. It’s a supportive and safe space where you can build and maintain resilience, as well as relieve stress related to moral distress with peers who have walked in your shoes.

Veterans who join VOA|ReST 4 VETS meetings will find a welcoming and safe online space for support and understanding from other Veterans. As a facilitator in the program and a Veteran from the Vietnam War, I appreciate how I can help to lighten the load of what each of us has been carrying because we all “have been there.”

Compassion, understanding, acceptance

Military service can present challenging situations where it is impossible for us and/or others to do what’s right. These “no-win” situations can disrupt our sense of being a good person or being able to trust others. Our conscience can haunt us and cause us moral distress. Feelings of moral distress, if we keep them inside and leave them unprocessed, can lead to moral injury, which is a crisis of identity and meaning, with wounds that can be as damaging and life-threatening as physical injuries.

Veterans will find, maybe for the first time, that in VOA|ReST 4 VETS they are not alone. They are “not the only ones” who are troubled by what they did, what they witnessed or what they were powerless over while serving in the military. They are not the only ones who can’t figure out how to cope with civilian life while carrying painful memories alone.

ReST meetings, which last an hour, start with some deep breathing and meditation to help Veterans reduce stress, get more centered and get in touch with what’s going on inside of them. As co-facilitators, my partner and I invite everyone to share whatever they are going through. We listen with compassion, understanding and acceptance as does the whole group.

Here are some things I’ve heard Veterans say at the end of a ReST session:

• I’ve been feeling alone and broken, but now I feel accepted and connected to everyone.
• I feel less like something is wrong with me and that others know what I went through and accept me.
• I’ve been having a really tough time feeling defective and ashamed, but now I realize I am struggling because I’m a good person and worthy.

Joining a VOA|ReST 4 Vets group is easy, and all Veterans are welcome. Just click here to register. After you’re registered, you will be able to see a schedule that has times when Veteran groups meet. Pick a time that works and sign up using the coupon code VA4FREE to attend at no charge. You’ll get a reminder to attend, and at the time the group starts, you just need to log into the meeting. The online meeting platform we use is called HeyPeers! It works just like Zoom.

To learn more about VOA|ReST and all of the VOA|ReST programs we offer, visit our website and watch this short video.