Tag Archive for "healing after suicide"

Posts Tagged ‘healing after suicide’

Yizkor after a Suicide

Posted on: June 10th, 2018 by Alden

My family doesn’t know the full circumstances of my wife Ami’s z”l death, but it was probably suicide. This is another prayer about suicide, following the recent celebrity suicides of Anthony Bourdain and Kate Spade. Optional language appears in [brackets]. May all who struggle with thoughts of suicide find relief, speedily, and comfort in their hours of need. If you are thinking about suicide, please get help.

Yizkor after a Suicide
Oh grief,
How deep was the pain,
That my __________ (relationship, such as: mother, child, friend)
Could take his/her/their own life?
G-d of old,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To ______________________ (name),
Whose life was cut off by sorrow,
By hopelessness, depression and despair,
In a moment of inconceivable horror.
Even in this darkness,
Even in this grief and void that seems beyond repair,
Help us to remember his/her/their wisdom, talents and skills,
Our times together,
Our joy, laughter and tears.
[Give me respite from this profound sense of guilt.]
In this hour of desolation,
Bring our family comfort and consolation
As we pray for him/her/them to find a new peace
In the world to come,
[A peace he/she/they did not enjoy in this world].
May his/her/their soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: Here are some related prayers: “My Depression,” “Mental Illness,” “These Troubled Children,” “Suicide Attempt by My Spouse/Partner,” “My Child’s Suicide Attempt” and “Yizkor after my Child’s Suicide.”

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Photo Source: Suicide Prevention Lifeline

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

Yizkor after My Child’s Suicide

Posted on: January 25th, 2015 by Alden

The loss of a child to suicide is a difficult and painful journey. This is another yizkor prayer focused on the circumstances surrounding the death of a loved one. Optional language appears in [brackets]. Here’s a link to a prayer to be said by parents after a child survives a suicide attempt, called “My Child’s Suicide Attempt.” May all who struggle with thoughts of suicide find relief, speedily, and comfort in their hours of need.

Yizkor after My Child’s Suicide
Oh grief,
How deep was her/his pain,
That my child
Could take his/her own life?
God of old,
Grant a perfect rest under your tabernacle of peace
To ______________________ (name),
My son/daughter,
Whose life was cut off by sorrow,
By hopelessness, depression and despair,
Even in this darkness,
In this moment of inconceivable horror,
In this grief and void that seems beyond repair,
Help us to remember his/her wisdom, talents and skills,
Our times together,
Our joy, laughter and tears.
[Give me respite from this profound sense of guilt.]
In this hour of desolation,
Bring our family comfort and consolation
As we pray for him/her to find a new peace
In the world to come,
A peace he/she did not enjoy in this world.
May his / her soul be bound up in the bond of life,
A living blessing in our midst.

Postscript: For those of you who don’t know me well and might worry, I write many prayers on difficult subjects that are not directly from my own experience. This is one that I have not personally experienced. My other focused yizkor prayers include: “In Memory of an Organ Donor,” “At the Hand of Violence,” “For Those Who Die Young” and “After an Accidental Death.” Here’s a link to an annotated list of memorial and yizkor prayers.

Photo Source: Ulrica Törning, as seen on Caring for Our Children Foundation

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

Posts Tagged ‘healing after suicide’

Yizkor after a Suicide

Suicide Attempt by My Spouse/Partner

Yizkor after My Child’s Suicide

My Child’s Suicide Attempt

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