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Writer's pictureStephanie

Suicide and self-empowerment

Suicides have increased as the societal crisis remain unpredictable.


Self-empowerment is a method used in many forums. It motivates and provides many folks the ability to maneuver life crisis. It works in some arenas and others find it difficult during crisis.


While interning as a suicidal crisis interventionist, I received multiple calls from individuals who took psych medication. Most callers complained they didn’t like how the medication made them feel, and they either had stopped taking the medication or took it sporadically.


According to medical science, one should never abruptly stop taking psych medication. It’s not safe, they have to be weened.


The calls to the suicidal prevention hot line varied from suicidal thoughts, hallucinations, feelings of depression, to wanting a listening ear.


The interventionist first question was, “Are you suicidal?” Many callers said no or they didn’t know.


The interventionist were trained to listen, as the callers conversation and word choice help to identify their mental state at that moment. Many callers knew the side effects of the psych medications and the effects when they abruptly stopped taking them.


Self-empowerment was key to the callers taking control of their situation and making positive choices, although it may have been momentarily.


The self-empowerment techniques used were listening, and asking questions that enable them to make a decision. Speaking positive reinforcements words that fed into their choices.


Of course, not all callers were able to mentally register the dynamics of their experience, depending on the severity of their mental state. We did not know the outcome of most all callers. But that moment of self-empowerment brought joy to many of them.


There are five stages of suicidal crisis, which includes the accelerating events, mental disorganization, breaking point, defuse, and restructure and restore.


The breaking point could lead to thoughts of suicide. The victim rants outwardly the internal turmoil.


I listened to a prophetess who seemed close to the breaking point. During a live interview she expressed her hurts, and named those who were partakers...contributors to her pain. They were contributors during her accelerating events.


Folks called the live interview trying to defuse her crisis, including those who were partakers. She refused to talk with them instead she cursed and blasted them, and publicly exposed their ungodly behaviors toward her and others.


She became disorganized and had mixed emotions and thoughts when she spoke with callers she trust or who she believe were her supporters. She would cry and apologize to them and in the same breath named some of them as a part of her accelerating events.


The breaking point has no stigma of ones class, prestige, or financial status. In fact, it could hit harder because of their status.


She is a college graduate, and licensed mental health counselor.


When counseling people, she became angered when their stories related to her history of abuse. This is called countertransference. That’s when the client’s story arouse the counselor’s repressed feelings and angers them.


As professionals you should stop that session and refer the client to another counselor.


There is a thin line when one is at the breaking point. Those who are partakers of their accelerating events should not attempt to rectify with them unless the client request to talk with them. If there is a connection, a third party should be involved, preferably a spiritual counselor, professional or both.

How does one defuse?


This is very difficult for some folks to do. Remove themselves from the pain which includes all partakers or contributors, friends, family, parents, siblings, pastors, ministers, whoever is a part of their pain or accelerating events.


So am I saying remove yourself from the church? Hmm! You can’t generalize everyone in that environment, it’s unfair. Remove yourself from those within that environment who contributed to your pain. If the leader is a contributor, you should consider leaving that church. This process can also be included in your work environment. Not always easy but can be done.


“Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil,” (Proverbs 3:7). Compromising with evil will place you in a recycling psychotic position, and it impairs reality.


Learn to, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;...” (Proverbs 3:5).


Reconstruct and restore yourself in finding your love and passion. Seek God for directions, find a good spiritual counselor and advisor. Meet new people with similar or the same mindset. Build and strengthen your character so that when and if you face the old pain you have the strength to stand. Allow Spiritual guidance and start “...in all your ways submit(ting) to him (God), and he will make your paths straight,” (Proverbs 3:6). Meditate and “pray continually,”

(1 Thessalonians 5:17).


Suicide is a spiritual warfare that starts in the mind. Be mindful “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms,” (Ephesians 6:12).


~SAR~








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