I’m Michele — an award-winning writer, therapist, clinical ethicist, and academic researcher working at the leading edge of one of the most important, but little-known areas of trauma and resilience today. It’s called moral injury and its cousin moral distress (the field, generally, is also referred to as moral trauma). And it’s different than depression, anxiety, feelings of burnout, grief, or defeat, even posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Moral trauma happens when your core moral foundations are violated in high-stake situations, which recasts the way you see yourself, others, and the world, and can cause changes in behavior that signal a loss of trust, connection, self-worth, and meaning. These painful experiences are not a “disorder” of the mind, but rather a weight upon the heart and soul, which is why they are commonly called “soul wounds” — because they cut to our core or essence, to the very things that define us.

Moral trauma can feel like you’re carrying the weight of the world. While these painful and disorienting fundamental human struggles have plagued people for millennia, finally, we know what to call them, how to identify them, and increasingly, how to help people heal and transform from them.

If you haven’t heard of moral injury or moral distress, I invite you to learn more — because there is a good chance either you or someone you know has felt its profound effects.