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\u201cTrauma isn’t defined by what happens externally, but rather by what transpires within you due to external events.\u201d ~Dr. Gabor Mat\u00e9<\/strong><\/p>\n Numerous individuals think trauma originates from distressing experiences.<\/p>\n Nonetheless, not every trauma is rooted in fear. Some injuries come from betrayal\u2014when our ethical integrity is compromised, leaving us to bear the weight alone.<\/p>\n This occurs not solely because of adverse events, but when an individual, figure of authority, or system we relied on for our safety crosses a moral line. The outcome is not only pain but also a persistent psychological and relational aftermath.<\/p>\n As a young one, I lacked the vocabulary to articulate this.<\/p>\n I found myself in class, gazing at incomplete worksheets. My body was present, yet my thoughts were elsewhere.<\/p>\n My teacher came over, questioning if I was okay.<\/p>\n She had never inquired all year, despite my arriving at school exhausted and unkempt. But that particular day, she persisted, ensuring me I would not be punished for honesty.<\/p>\n Her assurance was difficult to trust, as she possessed a paddle for disciplining students. I dreaded that my moment would arrive.<\/p>\n Nevertheless, she was an adult, seemingly the only one I could confide in.<\/p>\n She appeared to have knowledge and authority\u2014or so it seemed from my viewpoint. I thought she could halt the troubling situation.<\/p>\n Thus, I opened up to her.<\/p>\n I disclosed the abuse, my anxiety about returning home, regarding my stepmother and stepsister.<\/p>\n She vowed to intervene.<\/p>\n But nothing changed.<\/p>\n Child Protective Services came that week. They knocked, received no reply, and departed.<\/p>\n And I faced repercussions for my honesty.<\/p>\n She became the final adult I trusted after that.<\/p>\n The true injury wasn\u2019t merely the domestic situation but rather what transpired afterward.<\/p>\n Moral injury occurs when an individual observes, cannot avert, or is betrayed by actions that violate deeply held ethical principles. It can stem from actions or a lack of action, especially when those in power fail to uphold trust.<\/p>\n A line had been crossed.<\/p>\n I conveyed truth. An adult vowed safety. Systems created for intervention neglected to intervene. The violation was not solely the abuse\u2014it was the resulting neglect.<\/p>\n In lieu of panic, I experienced something more subdued: shame rather than fear, guilt instead of anger. I believed that expressing my feelings would be dangerous.<\/p>\n As I grew older, I pursued roles in support professions. I became a teacher, then transitioned to a school counselor.<\/p>\n This was not coincidental.<\/p>\n I needed to trust that clearly identifying harm would result in goodness and safety.<\/p>\n Therefore, I became an advocate.<\/p>\n I reported abuse, stood up for affected children, documented incidences, escalated issues, and adhered to procedures. I fought fiercely while others withdrew from the complexity, effort, politics, or consequences.<\/p>\n For a time, I believed dedication could restore the system.<\/p>\n However, eventually, reality proved otherwise.<\/p>\n Despite my diligent efforts, the system continued to falter. Children remained in danger. Accountability was diffuse. Truth was acknowledged and subsequently neutralized.<\/p>\n Letting go of the belief that goodness would inherently triumph proved unexpectedly arduous.<\/p>\n \u201cTrauma isn’t defined by what happens externally, but rather by what transpires within you due to external events.\u201d ~Dr. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9665295,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9665294","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritualjourneydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9665294","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritualjourneydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritualjourneydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritualjourneydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritualjourneydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=9665294"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/spiritualjourneydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9665294\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritualjourneydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/9665295"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/spiritualjourneydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=9665294"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritualjourneydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=9665294"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/spiritualjourneydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=9665294"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}When Honesty Failed to Shield Me<\/strong><\/h3>\n
The Profound Harm Beyond Anxiety<\/strong><\/h3>\n
How My Past Shadowed My Adulthood<\/strong><\/h3>\n
When Assisting Turned Into Reenactment<\/strong><\/h3>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"