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Season 3, Episode 19: Healing from Moral Injury with Caroline Hickman

Thomas and Panu had a new dialogue with UK Climate Therapy expert Caroline Hickman to discuss the concept of moral injury in relation to climate distress and its impact on people’s sense of meaning and trust. The conversation delved into feelings that arise in situations where one’s values are compromised and the impacts to relationships (e.g., feeling let down, betrayed, or having feelings denied). Caroline emphasized the need to differentiate between toxic and healthy guilt, to “locate guilt where it belongs,” and the importance of reparation and saying sorry on the part of people in power (with the example of former New Zealand Prime Minister  Jacinta Arden). Panu noted that engaging in a survivor mission and taking action can provide a sense of purpose and contribute to addressing moral injury. Join us for reflections on responsibility and healing amidst a changing climate.

Takeaways

• Moral injury is closely related to climate distress and involves the damage to an individual's values and morals.

• Moral injury can lead to feelings of guilt, shame, and inadequacy, as well as a breakdown of trust in relationships.

• It is important to differentiate between toxic and healthy guilt and to locate guilt where it belongs (e.g., with societal decision makers, and those in power).

• Reparation and saying sorry can help in the healing process and the recovery of trust.

Links

• Being a Therapist in a Time of Climate Breakdown, edited By Judith Anderson, Tree Staunton, Jenny O’Gorman, Caroline Hickman

• Caroline Hickman (2024): Eco-Anxiety in Children and Young People– A Rational Response, Irreconcilable Despair, or Both? 

• Caroline on our podcast, Season 3, Episode 8: Supporting Young People with Caroline Hickman

• Jacinta Ardern’s Ifoga (“sack ceremony”) in apology for New Zealand government’s Dawn Raids era against Pacific Island immigrants

• Greenpeace Nordic and Natur og Ungdom (Young Friends of the Earth Norway) Legal Victory  

• Anto Cartolovni et al 2021 Moral injury in healthcare professionals: A scoping review and discussion

Transcript

[The Climate Change and Happiness Transcript is on holiday.]