Tag: suicide loss

EOLPodcast

Ep. 520 Scattering CJ: A Mother’s Grief Shared by Many with Hallie Twomey

kwyattmd

Learn about an uplifting documentary film about a mother’s grief project that became a world-wide movement.

Content Warning:
This episode includes a conversation about the suicide death of a loved one. Please listen with care and take steps to protect your emotional wellbeing. If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available. In the U.S., you can call or text the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 for free and confidential support, 24/7.

My guest Hallie Twomey is a grieving mother on a mission. Following the suicide death of her elder son CJ, Hallie set out to make something positive evolve from horrific tragedy. Her request for people to scatter CJ’s ashes across the world has now become a documentary film, Scattering CJ that is sparking conversations about mental health and removing the stigma associated with suicide. She discusses her own journey of complicated grief after such a tragic loss. Learn more about the film at the website:

scatteringcjfilm.com

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This episode includes:

  • The traumatic, complicated grief that follows a suicide death
  • How the movement and the film Scattering CJ came about
  • The miraculous response from people around the world to Hallie’s request
  • Feedback Hallie continues to receive from people who participated in scattering CJ’s ashes
  • Learning to live with questions that can never be answered

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my latest supporter 4Brigid. And thanks to everyone who has bought me a coffee or made a donation on Paypal! Your contributions make all the difference and ensure this podcast stays ad-free.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 402 Grief After a Suicide Death: My Personal Story with Karen Wyatt MD

kwyattmd

Learn the story of my journey with grief after my father’s death by suicide and how it may differ from other grief experiences.

In this solo episode I share the story of my own grief experience after my father died by suicide 34 years ago. This is an ongoing journey that has shifted and changed over the years, teaching me a great deal about life, death and grief. The week this episode airs is the anniversary of Dad’s death, so I’m currently processing it once again and thought I would share the story with you. Hopefully this will be helpful to others who are dealing with grief after suicide or trying to help someone who is grieving. I want to decrease the stigma and shame that surround suicide so that we can get better about asking for, receiving, and giving help to those who are suffering. (Note: There are slides that accompany this talk if you watch on YouTube.)

Get my book 7 Lessons for Living from the Dying

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This episode includes:

  • The shock and numbness of my first year of grief
  • What I needed from others during my early grieving process
  • Why I couldn’t talk about my father’s death for a long time
  • How hospice opened me to finally begin embracing my grief
  • Why allowing myself to feel anger was difficult but pivotal in my grief process
  • Why it didn’t really matter what other people said to me during my grief experience
  • Why I have compassion for people who couldn’t be there for me
  • How I used rituals and travel to help me with my grief
  • The devastating guilt that accompanies grief after suicide
  • How my grief has changed over the years

Links mentioned in this episode:

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu and to Mark and Cheri McClure for buying me 5 coffees! Your contributions make all the difference.

EOLPodcast

Ep. 375 Touching Two Worlds: Finding Hope After Loss with Sherry Walling PhD

kwyattmd

Learn how our grief touches the two worlds of sorrow and joy and how we can navigate these turbulent times.

My guest Dr. Sherry Walling is a clinical psychologist, speaker, podcaster, author and mental health advocate. She helps entrepreneurs and leaders navigate transition, loss, and complex human experience. Sherry is the author of Touching Two Worlds: A Guide for Finding Hope in the Landscape of Loss, a poetic exploration of grief informed by two very personal losses in her own life. She discusses the presence of both sorrow and joy within grief and how her own life has been reshaped by the grief she has experienced. Learn more at her websites:

www.sherrywalling.com

www.touchingtwoworlds.com

Get the book here

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This episode includes:

  • What inspired Sherry to write this book
  • The experience of compound grief and “death by heartbreak”
  • The “two worlds” of grief
  • How grief changes us and why it’s important
  • How Sherry’s two grief experiences differed – after cancer and after suicide
  • The guilt experienced by medical professionals when a loved one dies
  • Coping with a suicide death
  • Parenting children while going through grief and teaching them about loss
  • How various forms of movement can help us with grief
  • The art of crying on airplanes
  • Grief requires us to rewrite our assumptions about the world

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If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes. Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, and to Marsha for buying me a coffee! Your contributions make all the difference.