Fireflies of Hope

Suicide: it's finally time to talk about it

Will we look back several years from now, only to realize that because of the suicide of the comedian and actor, Robin Williams, there are more honest conversations about suicide? Will we see that more people have come forward with courage to share how they have coped with the loss of their loved one to suicide? Or, how they, themselves, have recovered from an attempt or even thoughts of ending their own life? I trust we will.

Because of Robin Williams I, for one, am mustering up the courage today to talk about my father’s suicide. It’s not easy, even after forty-six years. It’s very, very different than talking about a dad who died from a heart attack or cancer.

Day of Dad's funeral. 1968. I am on the far left.

 

What I’ve learned is this: suicide’s repercussions don’t necessarily fade with the passage of time, yet, somehow, something can happen to your heart as a “loss survivor”. Love for the fallen has a wondrous way of growing even stronger with time . . . if you allow. Regardless of how much love you felt for them before they were gone (or didn't feel), the love and compassion you feel can grow. There IS beauty that can appear along the journey to recovery for loss survivors left in the wake of the trauma.

It’s not easy though. The people left behind after a loved one's suicide have years, often decades, to work through sadness, confusion, anger, feeling abandoned and unloved by the one who left them. How can one not feel those things? I can’t speak for others, but for me, even though time passes, the pain still comes out of nowhere on some days.

Sometimes you feel the pain a little bit and sigh. Other times

EMDR therapy: faster relief for overcoming trauma

photo via iamcocoa

Many people dealing with emotional pain search for trained counselors or therapists to help them. Some therapy it isn't that helpful. One particularly effective approach that has been getting more mainstream attention is called EMDR therapy. It stands for Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing. 

Yes, daily prayer and faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ, can bless and fill us with a measure of hope and peace. However, it can come to a point when professional help is needed to find greater relief and make sense of lingering pain. 

If you are looking for immediate relief from emotional pain that traumatic events can cause (rather than slower relief from prolonged "talk therapy") many people are turning to EMDR over all other therapies. Click here to find an EMDR therapist near you. 

EMDR therapy is a very effective approach for overcoming "chronic pain, phobias, depression, panic attacks, eating disorders and poor self-image, stress, worry, stage fright, performance anxiety, recovery from sexual abuse and traumatic incidents" [emdr website].

The common talk therapy approach can be very painful and progress can be slow. After EMDR many people find they can finally