In this episode, I will be talking with Deborah Grassman, the author and creator of the concept of ‘Soul Injury’. Deborah is a VA Nurse Practitioner who took care of 10,000 dying veterans during her 30-year career. She is a TEDx presenter, author of two books, Peace at Last and The Hero Within. She is a contributing author for four textbooks, has 25 published articles, and there are five documentary films featuring her work. Deborah directs the Opus Peace Institute where leaders are trained in how to provide programs that respond to Soul Injuries. She contends that 10,000 dying veterans may have lessons that can be unpacked for both the wider audience and for individual needs.
Soul injury can be defined as a wound to your sense of self; your real self beyond the façade. It’s a wound to your BE-ing that can separate you from your real self. If this occurs, you might end up with a COUNTERFEIT life that is not meant for you. A deeper dive into Soul Injury reveals 3 causes: un-mourned loss/hurt, unforgiven guilt/shame, and fear of helplessness/loss of control. This might result in a person feeling defective, inadequate, or incomplete. We cover the following concepts within the conversation:
· Origin story of soul injury & Opus peace from Deborah – key learning from nursing 10,000 dying veterans
· How ‘Soul Injury’ fits alongside moral injury and PTSD
· Spectrum of wounds – especially those that occur to individuals rather than intended mistakes or wounds.
· Causes of Soul Injury
· Symptomatology
· Identification of mental and emotional injuries – Self-awareness inventory
· Anchoring Heart technique
· Experiential Soul Connection
· Self-compassioning tools
· Integrative letter writing
· Final thoughts and take-home messages from Deborah
Deborah is the CEO of Opus Peace that can be found here: https://opuspeace.org/who-we-are/
For more on Soul Injury please see here: https://opuspeace.org/about-soul-injury/
If this episode resonates with you, you can contact Deborah and the team here: https://opuspeace.org/contact/
Please enjoy this episode with an insightful and inspirational guest.
