10 Things You Should Know About Suicide Grief

1. 10 Things You Should Know About Suicide Grief Bruce Rickard

2. 10 Things You Should Know About Suicide Grief You may have an opportunity to support someone who has experienced the tragic loss of a friend or loved one to suicide. Here are “10 things you should know about suicide grief.”

3. 10 Things You Should Know About Suicide Grief 1. It is Unexpected A person’s suicide often takes the people it leaves behind by surprise.

4. 10 Things You Should Know About Suicide Grief 2. It is Traumatic The trauma of suicide is so devastating it has the potential to shut down normal coping mechanisms.

5. 10 Things You Should Know About Suicide Grief 3. It Is Insistent There is an Old Turkish Proverb “He who conceals his grief finds no remedy for it.” Avoiding grief robs us of life.

6. “Only grieving can heal grief; the passage of time will lessen the intensity, but time alone, without the direct experience of grief, will not heal it.” Ann Lamott

7. 10 Things You Should Know About Suicide Grief 4. It Is Personal No two people grieve in quite the same way...There is no map or timetable for grief. What grief looks like and how long it lasts is an individual journey.

8. 10 Things You Should Know About Suicide Grief 5. It Is Inequitable The grief journey is a different process for each individual and the intensity of the experience can vary.

9. 10 Things You Should Know About Suicide grief 6. It is Isolating Individuals who have lost someone they love to suicide feel greater isolation and stigmatisation than other mourners. They dread the possibility of negative reactions.

10. “Silence keeps us separate, behind our own barriers, wondering at our own reality. Where does grief untold go?” Ruth Wajnrib

11. 10 Things You Should Know About Suicide Grief 7. It is Unpredictable Grief is by nature unpredictable and may resurface at any stage.  You cannot always tell when something will trigger intense emotions.

12. 10 Things You Should Know About Suicide Grief 8. It is Transforming The suicide of someone you love is a defining moment. It changes your life forever.

13. “Suicide can shatter the things you take for granted about yourself, your relationships, and your world.” Jack Jordan

14. 10 Things You Should Know About Suicide Grief 9. It is Questioning People affected by suicide are plagued by the need to make sense of the death and to understand why their friend or family member would want to end their life.

15. 10 Things You Should Know About Suicide Grief 10. It is Remembering Making meaning of loss is a major challenge but in doing so we often discover important ways to honour our loved one.   We have a duty to remember and to celebrate their life.

16. “At first these reminders can be painful, triggering deep grief all over again. But eventually, they are transformed from reminders of a loved one’s death to remembrances of his or her life.” Albert Hsu

17. 10 Things You Should Know About Suicide Grief hopefortomorrow.info bruce@hopefortomorrow.info