7 ways to help someone stop thinking of suicide

When people talk about suicide, it stirs up something deep in us.

It is incongruent with our biological instinct for survival. We know that something is wrong.
If we love the person, or even care about him, we may start to panic.

What if I lose him?

We may not trust ourselves to help lift him out of the pain. We feel worried and helpless up against darkness that he is facing. We don’t know what to do or what to say.
But we know we have to do something.
As a therapist, I have talked to thousands of people about suicide over the 20 plus years that I have been practicing. I haven’t lost anyone to suicide, but I stay vigilant and meet each new disclosure with my full attention. Each person is incredibly valuable and I don’t want to lose anyone.
I’ve seen people in the most intense pain that you can imagine and I see them afterwards, when they feel better. Seeing this process so many times, I have the retrospective view of the next person coming in. Things change. People get better.
I know you want to help your friend/child/lover/parent get to that “better” place. And there are things that you can do that will be invaluable to helping them and bring the two of you closer together. Thanks goodness.



Here are 6 ways to respond when someone tells you they are thinking about suicide

http://jodiaman.com/help-someone-thinking-suicide/