Survivor Grief
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When an individual dies by suicide, that person's family and friends are left with an intense, devastating and persistent pain. It is an experience unlike any other. When news arrives that someone we love has died by suicide, most survivors are immediately thrown into a traumatic and complicated grief.
| We experience turbulent emotions: shocking loss, disbelief, grief and guilt, feelings of inadequacy, fear, blame, anger and concern about stigma. Our world as we have known it, is forever changed. Events seem surreal and out of control. Someone we love has suddenly died -- and by their own hand. We wonder: how will we survive the next moment or the next hour or the next day when they are gone. It is normal to feel desperately unhappy and out of control following a suicide. It is normal to be consumed by waves of grief and despair and hopelessness. It is normal to wonder how you will go on, but with the help of others, you can go on … little by little, one moment, one hour, and one day at a time. It is important to understand that while there are some commonalities, we all grieve differently. Some people will want to talk about it and some will not. Some people will show their reactions openly and some will not. | On the
pages in this section are common reactions which have been experienced
by other survivors and which you may experience as well.
Surviving the
suicide of a loved one is a journey. It is not an easy journey and no
one chooses it. At the beginning of the journey, it is difficult to
believe that things will get better, but you will begin to feel better. Little by little … inch by inch, you will travel the road of healing to arrive at a destination unknown to you now.
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