Content Warning:
This episode discusses suicide and suicide prevention.
Listener discretion is advised.
In this ep Mark chats with Dr Nikki Jameson—social worker, suicidologist, and founder of Moral Injury Australia—to unpack how a mother’s loss of her son Daniel to suicide ignited a national push for reform, shaped a Royal Commission, and gave people a new way to understand suffering that doesn’t fit neatly under PTSD.
Nikki shares Daniel’s story—his loyalty, humour, and service—and the different weight of suicide grief. From there, we explore what moral injury is: the enduring psychological and spiritual harm that follows a violation of one’s core values or moral code, whether from orders that feel wrong, systemic betrayal, or a moment where you couldn’t act. We talk about how treatment approaches based on compassion, forgiveness, meaning-making, and body-based practices like breathwork, movement, and even laughter can help people heal. We also tackle misconceptions about suicide, the difference between ideation and intent, and why belonging and reasons to live are powerful protective factors.
This is a story of systems and change. Nikki walks us through key Royal Commission recommendations, including the explicit call to prevent and treat moral injury, and explains why families and cross-agency coordination are vital.
If you work in defence, health, education, justice, or any role where hard choices meet human values, this conversation offers language, tools, and hope.
If this conversation resonated with you, please share it with a friend or colleague, and subscribe for more thoughtful insights on mental health and suicide prevention, and leave a review so others can find the show. Your voice helps this message reach the people who need it most.
Thanks for listening.
To follow the work Nikki is doing:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-nikki-jamieson-658835154/
https://moralinjuryaustralia.com.au/
Website: www.thelaughterclinic.com.au
Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@thelaughterclinicAus
"If you or someone you know needs support, please contact one of these Australian mental health services. In an emergency, always call 000."
Lifeline Australia
Phone: 13 11 14 (24/7)
Web: lifeline.org.au
Suicide Call Back Service
Phone: 1300 659 467 (24/7)
Web: suicidecallbackservice.org.au
Beyond Blue
Phone: 1300 22 4636 (24/7)
Web: beyondblue.org.au
Kids Helpline (for people aged 5-25)
Phone: 1800 55 1800 (24/7)
Web: kidshelpline.com.au
MensLine Australia
Phone: 1300 78 99 78 (24/7)
Web: mensline.org.au
SANE Australia (complex mental health issues)
Phone: 1800 18 7263
Web: sane.org
QLife (LGBTIQ+ support)
Phone: 1800 184 527
Web: qlife.org.au
Open Arms (Veterans & Families Counselling)
Phone: 1800 011 046 (24/7)
Web: openarms.gov.au
1800RESPECT (sexual assault, domestic violence)
Phone: 1800 737 732 (24/7)
Web: 1800respect.org.au
Headspace (youth mental health, ages 12-25)
Phone: 1800 650 890
Web: headspace.org.au
13YARN (Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander crisis support)
Phone: 13 92 76 (13YARN) (24/7)
Web: 13yarn.org.au
Music by Hayden Smith
https://www.haydensmith.com
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