Values clarification — identifying what matters most to you at the deepest level — is a cornerstone of ACT therapy for moral injury and provides direction when moral injury removes other navigational tools.
Why Values Matter for Moral Injury
Moral Injury often disconnects us from our values through avoidance, withdrawal, and reduced capacity. Reconnecting with values provides:
- Direction when moral injury has eliminated other motivation
- Meaning that persists even through difficult moral injury periods
- A basis for action independent of how moral injury makes you feel
Clarifying Your Values with Moral Injury
Ask yourself: 'If my moral injury were less present, what would I be doing more of? What kind of person would I be?'
Values are not goals (achievable and done) but ongoing directions: being a present parent, creating beauty, contributing to others.
Values-Based Action in Moral Injury
ACT therapy teaches: act according to values even when moral injury is present. Small values-aligned actions, despite moral injury, are more sustainable than waiting for moral injury to lift first.