In the wake of losing a loved one to suicide, it’s common to pour over every detail of their final days, including last conversations. Filled with guilt, survivors may wonder if things that were said – or maybe not said – could have made a difference. I think that because suicide is so shocking and lacks closure, we reach for something – or someone – to blame.
I remember in the weeks leading up to my dad’s death, I could tell he wasn’t feeling ...
The Weight of Guilt after a Loss by Suicide
One question that I have been asked by many survivors is, "When will the guilt end?" I see the desperation in their eyes, and remember the overwhelming weight that I carried on my own shoulders following the loss of my father. We question what we could have done differently to prevent the tragic outcome that has become our reality. I have spent a great deal of time thinking about the element of guilt. I have written many posts on the topic, ...
Guilt after Suicide
In the past, I wrote this blog post about the Stages of Grief and how guilt impacted our ability to move through each stage successfully. Recent conversation with a family member after the loss of Blackhawk's assistant equipment manager, Clint Reif, motivated me to revisit the topic of guilt after suicide as many questioned, "How did his family not know?"
If you are a survivor, you have likely become very familiar with guilt after suicide. ...
Stages of Grief After Suicide: Guilt
In a previous post, I wrote about the Stages of Grief after suicide and how they relate to survivors (click here to revisit the post). I challenged the notion that these stages apply to a survivor in the same manner that they apply to someone who loses a loved one "naturally." As a psychotherapist, I understand that the stages are a blueprint to be used to help others understand their grief journey. However, as a survivor I continue to question ...