Lessons in Surviving Suicide

Lessons in Surviving Suicide

Author: Vonne Solis

Publisher: Gatekeeper Press

Published: 2021-02-26

Total Pages: 234

ISBN-13: 1662905009

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

When I first became bereaved in 2005, after the suicide of my daughter at age twenty-two, more than anything I wanted another bereaved parent to tell me exactly what I could expect from my grief. What would it be like? Would it ever end? Critically, how could I possibly live without my child? I was terrified. I had thousands of questions and no real answers. The future looked bleak. Fifteen years later, I am that parent I so desperately wanted to learn from. This book is to help newly bereaved parents who have lost their child to suicide navigate early grief and be aware of the issues that can complicate grief. The body of each chapter has been written as a personal letter to my daughter. In a raw and candid sharing, I recount the difficult emotions and issues that have challenged my efforts to fully heal from her suicide. The lessons learned at the end of each chapter are the result of the introspection that only time can give us. They are intended to help every parent reading this book find comfort and healing on their journey from all that I’ve learned looking back on my own. While all bereaved parents have thousands of questions related to the death of their child, suicide presents its own unique questions and challenges. Not knowing the reasons for their child’s death can create lasting suffering for grieving parents and complicate their grief. Time is bittersweet. The more it passes, the more it can challenge bereaved parents to accept the finality of their child’s death. It can also trap us in only surviving the trauma and pain we experience after our losing our child, rather than being able to embrace truly living. But time also gives us the increasing courage and ability to reflect on our loss and pain, which is necessary to heal. I remain optimistic that we can heal from what is perhaps the toughest loss for anyone to bear. This book comforts and encourages every bereaved parent to contemplate the difficulties that will challenge them in their grief. It also serves as a compass to guide them to the destination they want and that does await them when they believe and trust that they can and will find their way.


Cracked, Not Broken

Cracked, Not Broken

Author: Kevin Hines

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781442222403

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This work is about the art of living mentally well. Told through the first-hand experience of mental health advocate, activist and speaker Kevin Hines (who has bipolar disorder), the story is an honest account of the struggle to live mentally well, and teach others how to do t...


Lessons from the Ledge

Lessons from the Ledge

Author: Nancy Jo Nelson

Publisher:

Published: 2017-06-23

Total Pages: 149

ISBN-13: 9780997521047

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

There is no manual for survivors of suicide. No rules to help those left behind navigate their grief and anger. When Nancy Jo Nelson¿s husband disappeared, her entire life was upended. Her daughter was distraught. Her son, frightened and confused. And since she¿d recently asked for a divorce, her husband¿s family¿and the police¿were suspicious. There were no clues. No answers. No reasons she could grab hold of. Yes, he was an alcoholic, but he¿d been sober for years. Yes, he¿d been unhappy with the prospect of divorce, but they¿d made progress. They were going to be civilized about the whole thing. At lease that¿s what she told herself. Months later, when his remains were found in a nearby park, she realized she¿d been wrong. And that she and her children would have to being the life-long process of learning to survive suicide.


PUBLIC SAFETY SUICIDE

PUBLIC SAFETY SUICIDE

Author: Mary Van Haute

Publisher: Charles C Thomas Publisher

Published: 2015-01-01

Total Pages: 137

ISBN-13: 0398081352

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book takes an individual human approach to the problem of suicide in public safety occupations. As a researcher in suicide, coauthor John Violanti relies heavily upon statistics to make the case for prevention. These worthwhile statistics help to form the big picture, but one must keep in mind that these are just statistics and not people. With coauthor Mary Van Haute and her knowledge of the human condition and experience in interventions, she adds the human dimension by relating her stories of real people who worked in public safety occupations and their difficult and sometimes tragic consequences with near and completed suicide. Added to her expertise is her own life experience: she is a survivor of her brother’s death by suicide. For the reader, the book provides a detailed insight into the reality of suicide and how it tears into the very fiber of being human in an occupational culture that requires one to forget emotions, feelings, and at times compassion. Stigma and a myriad of misnomers silence the majority of suicide attempt survivors, robbing suicide prevention specialists of lifesaving knowledge and perspective. Here are the stories of people who have balanced the risk of being judged and misunderstood with the value of being a mentor and role model to others. They share their stories about living with mental illness, addiction, and suicide in the hopes that it will have a positive impact on the readers and ultimately save a life. It is also a look back at the beaten path of Van Haute’s own double road of grief—from a time of ignorance through years of hard-knocks education to a point of peaceful resolve, the trials and tasks facing a survivor of suicide loss are chronicled. Each chapter concludes with a case analysis of lessons learned from the story courageously shared. This book is an opportunity to see that there is life after lifelessness, hope after hopelessness and peace after restlessness.


Melissa

Melissa

Author: Frank Page

Publisher: B&H Books

Published: 2013

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781433679100

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A well-known religious leader writes about the spiritual truths and wise biblical practices he struggled to learn and put into action following his daughter's suicide, hoping it will help the church address the epidemic.


Lessons from the Ledge

Lessons from the Ledge

Author: Nancy Jo Nelson

Publisher:

Published: 2017-06-23

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13: 9781734734027

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

There is no manual for survivors of suicide. No rules to help those left behind to navigate their grief and anger. When Nancy Jo Nelson's husband disappeared, her entire life was upended. Months later, when his remains were found, she and her children began the life-long process of learning to survive suicide.


From Hanging to Hang ON

From Hanging to Hang ON

Author: Nick LeDonne

Publisher: Nick LeDonne

Published: 2020-08-15

Total Pages: 281

ISBN-13: 1735503304

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A Powerful Story with a 16-Point 'Path to Hope' on Youth Suicide Prevention. Discover a one-of-a-kind mental health story of a young kid with a big dream, to become an animator. On his way he faces college dramas, hardship, loss, trauma, homelessness, and after a suicide attempt by hanging, finds his strength to Hang ON. A true story about falling into depression, surviving a suicide attempt, and how to fight your way out in pursuit of your dreams. The second half is a comprehensive guide from depression to happiness. The "Path to Hope" lessons are filled with relatable analogies and casual perspectives such as comparing negative emotions to broken trucks, suicide to stranger danger, and chronic depression to frozen pizza. It's an animated guide on depression, written by the happiest person to talk about it. Written and Lived by, Nick LeDonne. Artist, Animator, Professor, Suicide Prevention Speaker, and The Happiest Person to Talk About Depression.


Lessons Learned on Grief

Lessons Learned on Grief

Author: Luciano Sabatini

Publisher:

Published: 2019-08-19

Total Pages: 126

ISBN-13: 9781072467731

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This is a memoir of my personal and professional experiences with grief. The story begins with my wife becoming sick with cancer at age 27. Her sickness and death was devastating and transformed my world. The first several chapters are about my personal grief journey. I was a middle school counselor when she died, and in dealing with her loss I embarked on a new career as a bereavement counselor. At first I was just a volunteer facilitating support groups for widowed men for the American Red Cross in a program called "First Step". I eventually did a my doctoral study on this program. When this program ended, I was invited to begin a bereavement program for St. Brigid parish in Westbury, NY. I facilitated support groups there for over three decades. Eventually, I started another bereavement program for St. Bernard's parish in Levittown, which features specialty groups for bereaved parents and survivors of suicide. Most of the book is about lessons I have learned from my clients about loss. In addition to support groups, I have seen clients privately for many years. My lessons on grief also include what I have learned from people who I trained to become support group facilitators, from students in my graduate course at Hofstra University, and from my work for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. The book is has a broad perspective; it speaks about many different losses, i.e. death of a spouse, child, sibling, parents and complicated grief. It is unique in that most books on the topic are either personal accounts from well-known people, i.e. Option B by Sheryl Sandberg or professional works by experts in the field, i.e. Living Beyond Loss by Monica McGoldrick. This both combines both perspectives in an easy to follow writing style. It is written for grieving individuals and their caregivers. Since it is a memoir, I am the main character but I also speak about the many individuals who have influenced me in my work. People who have suffered unimaginable losses, and yet somehow managed to survive and lead meaningful lives. They have inspired me to write this book so others can benefit from their grief journey.


Surviving Suicide

Surviving Suicide

Author: HJW Publications

Publisher: HJW Publications

Published: 2003-05

Total Pages: 148

ISBN-13: 9780976859024

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Expecting the normal challenges of marriage and family and then being faced with the most unimaginable tragedy, Mary Scovel was forced into a surreal, yet unique and enlightening journey. Endorsed by best-selling author, Dr. Gerald G. Jampolsky, M.D. "Surviving Suicide: A Journey to the Light Within" is the true story of a loving minister's family as they experienced the deterioration and eventual suicide of their two beloved sons, both of whom were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Charting their journey, Mary Scovel describes how she and her husband survived this unbearable double loss, searched her heart while embracing her dark night of the soul, kept her marriage intact in spite of the statistical odds, and emerged with peace of mind that made their recovery possible beyond the level of mere acceptance.


Beyond the Grey Sky

Beyond the Grey Sky

Author: Dustin Ruge

Publisher: Thunderbird Publishing

Published: 2019-11-28

Total Pages: 153

ISBN-13: 0990504697

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Suicide claims over one million lives world-wide each year. In the United States alone, suicide has become the second leading cause of death amongst people ages ten to thirty-five and has literally become a national epidemic resulting in 47,000 deaths per year, or more than twice the number of homicides. Beyond the Grey Sky is the first major publication of its kind to truly help explain the impacts of suicide on both our physical and spiritual beings by telling the incredible true story of a tragic death and a survivor’s unique journey that will forever change what we believe and know about suicide. PRAISE FOR BEYOND THE GREY SKY “Dustin Ruge, departing from his previous best-selling books, pours his heart out in “Beyond the Grey Sky.” Approaching the 17th anniversary of his brother David’s death by suicide, with unvarnished prose and rich anecdotes, he captures the essence of their relationship and his personal journey of healing. Like so many who die by suicide, “David didn’t always feel like he ‘fit in’ to the world we live in.” Ruge is a gifted writer – I was transported from laughing out loud (ala David Sedaris) into being moved to tears. This book is a must-read for everyone, not just survivors of suicide loss.”-Michael F Myers, MD Professor of Clinical Psychiatry, SUNY Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, NY and author of “Touched by Suicide: Hope and Healing After Loss” (with Carla Fine) and “Why Physicians Die by Suicide: Lessons Learned from Their Families and Others Who Cared.” “This is one of the most powerful books on suicide we have ever read. We believe that if everybody could read this incredible story they would not consider suicide.” -Dale and Dar (Darlene) Emme, Founders of Yellow Ribbon Suicide Prevention Program. "Beyond the Gray Sky" by Dustin Ruge is his own soul-searching journey in the aftermath of his step brother's suicide. He shares the experience of his shattered world and the Spirit World's subsequent intervention with candor and awe. Ruge's search for meaning in his own life and in his brother’s life is compelling. Other suicide loss survivors will relate to his story and will read with curiosity and wonder."-Iris Bolton, Author, Grief Counselor, Director Emeritus of the Link Counseling Center in Atlanta, Georgia. Bolton wrote, "My Son, My Son, A Guide to Healing after Death, Loss or Suicide and recently Bolton Press Atlanta published "Voices of Healing and Hope, Conversations on Grief after Suicide." www.boltonpress.com “Dustin’s story is a heartfelt account about love, grief and our life-long connection we have to our loved ones who have left this world.”-Friends for Survival, Inc.“Beyond the Grey Sky brings to light the “human factor” and a real look at how suicide impacts not only loved ones, but even acquaintances will be impacted to some degree over such a loss. As a Suicidology Researcher and I know firsthand the tragedy that follows a death by suicide. The “ripple effect” never ceases, the ripples just become less pronounced. However, I know lives can be saved by reading this book.”-Olivia Johnson, DM, Blue Wall Institute “Dustin Ruge has written a book about surviving the loss of his brother to suicide that is personal, engaging and poignant. He gives us a clear picture of the devastation of the death, as well as the strong bond they shared and the growth Dustin experiences after grieving. It is a lovely example of how we can and often do engage with life in a richer way after we work through the heart wrenching aspects of our losses to suicide.”-Vanessa L. McGann, Ph.D, Survivors Division Chair, American Association of Suicidology