Tag Archive for "dysfunctional family"

Posts Tagged ‘dysfunctional family’

Suicide Attempt by My Spouse/Partner

Posted on: May 31st, 2015 by Alden

This is a prayer for healing after a suicide attempt by a spouse or partner. It focuses on emotional and spiritual health, although it includes an optional section in [brackets] for one still in physical danger as a result of the attempt. This is another in a new series of prayers about suicide.

Suicide Attempt by My Spouse/Partner
G-d of Old,
A fire rages in the heart of my beloved,
A fire that threatens to consume him/her.
How deep is this pain
That he/she would attempt to take his/her own life.
I call out to You
From the depths of confusion and fear.
[Carry her/him out of physical danger,
Healing her/his body from this trauma and]
Lead her/him to solace and relief.
What balm will ease her/his suffering?
What consolation will guide her/his journey
Back to self-respect and love?

G-d of healing,
Bless my husband/wife/partner
__________________________ (full name)
With comfort and well-being.
Grant him/her healing of mind,
Healing of body,
And healing of spirit.
Grant his/her doctors [and his/her medications]
With healing power.
Teach her/him to see the world through Your eyes,
As a place of joy and adventure.

Remove my fear [and the fear of our children]
And lead us to a time of wholeness.
Remove my heartbreak [and my shame].
[Bless me with wisdom as I consider
My own reactions to this trauma.]

Well of Hope,
Grant __________________________ (first name)
The ability to be gentle and forgiving to herself/himself.
Lead her/him to new ways of expression,
On a path to happiness and peace.

Postscript: Here are related prayers: “My Child’s Suicide Attempt,” “My Child’s Self-Inflicted Wounds” and “Yizkor after My Child’s Suicide.”

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Photo Source: Applied Buddhism

My Child’s Suicide Attempt

Posted on: November 16th, 2014 by Alden

This is difficult prayer: a prayer for healing after a child attempts suicide. It focuses on the child’s emotional and spiritual health, although it includes an optional section in [brackets] for a child who’s still in physical danger as a result of the attempt. This is the first of several prayers about suicide. Others will be posted in coming weeks. Here’s a related prayer called “My Child’s Self-Inflicted Wounds.”

My Child’s Suicide Attempt
How deep is her/his pain,
G-d of Old,
That my daughter/son
Would attempt to take his/her own life.
I call out to You
From the depths of confusion and fear.
[Carry her/him out of physical danger,
Healing her/his body from this trauma and]
Lead her/him to solace and relief.
What balm will ease her/his suffering?
What consolation will guide her/his journey
Back to wholeness, to self-respect, to love?

G-d of healing,
Bless my child
__________________________ (full name)
With comfort and well-being.
Grant him/her healing of mind,
Healing of body,
And healing of spirit.
Bless his/her doctors [and his/her medications]
With healing power.
Teach her/him to see the world through Your eyes,
As a place of abundance and kindness,
A place of joy and adventure.

Well of Hope,
Grant __________________________ (first name)
The ability to be gentle and forgiving to herself/himself.
Lead her/him to new ways of expression,
On a path to happiness and peace.

Postscript: See also: “The Cut that Heals,” “Witnessing” and “Redeeming My Life,” which appear in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Photo Source: Softpedia

Grieving the Living

Posted on: October 11th, 2014 by Alden

This prayer is for those grieving the emotional or spiritual loss of someone still living: a parent whose child no longer wants a relationship, or a teen whose parents have been lost in alcoholism for years. The idea was sparked when I heard a young woman in a support group say: “You people who’ve lost loved ones, you’re lucky. Some of us have lost our parents, but they’re still living. At least you can grieve and get on with it. We just go on suffering the loss with the ridiculous hope that one day things will get better.” Optional lines appear [in brackets]. This prayer will appear in my forthcoming book, Prayers from the Heart of Darkness.

Grieving the Living
G-d of Old,
Grief holds me,
Sadness deep in my bones,
A yearning to fill the hole
In my broken heart.
[My parents, who do not love.]
[My child, who cut me off.]
[My friend, who disappeared.]
[My brother, a river of anger.],
[My sister, a well of judgment.]
[My ______, who _________.]

This longing for what has never been,
For what [may/can] never be,
Consumes me.
How can I move beyond this sorrow
When I still can hope?
How can I move beyond this pain
When I can still dream?
[I wonder,
Wouldn’t my life be better
If he/she/they were dead, G-d forbid?
I could grieve and move on.
Then my guilt and shame set in.]

G-d of Wisdom,
Teach me to let go
Of false hopes and empty promises
So I can trust again, love again, hope again.
Teach me to accept my past as it was
So I can embrace a richer tomorrow.
Teach me to release my anger and pain
So that I may lead a life of awe and wonder,
Full of joy and laughter.

Blessed are You, Creator of life,
You heal the broken spirit with love.

Postscript: Here’s a list of memorial and yizkor prayers, many of which appear in my book, Jewish Prayers of Hope and Healing.

Photo Source: Sasha Wolf/Wikimedia Commons

Posts Tagged ‘dysfunctional family’

Suicide Attempt by My Spouse/Partner

My Child’s Suicide Attempt

Grieving the Living

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