Surviving Suicidal Ideation: From Therapy to Spirituality and the Lived Experience
Gina Cavalier and Amelia Kelley
West Chester, Pa.: Swedenborg Foundation, 2024; paper (274 pp.) and e-book, $19.95.
Mental health issues, including suicidal ideation, are rarely discussed in spiritual circles. Conversely, discussion of spiritual issues is often omitted when addressing mental health issues, including suicidal ideation.
Yet the literature regarding spirituality and mental health supports the need for combining the two. The website of the McLean psychiatric hospital observes: “Spirituality is a deep well upon which many people draw in times of crisis, unrest, or personal challenge. It reinforces inner peace and provides a sense of connection to a force greater than ourselves . . . Research shows that spirituality can benefit both the mind and the body.”
The value of a spiritual connection cannot be understated when addressing mental health. Surviving Suicidal Ideation weaves mental health and spirituality in a manner that is both supportive and surprisingly engaging, given the seriousness of the topic. The book is written collaboratively by Gina Cavalier, who shares her personal experiences with suicidal ideation, and Dr. Amelia Kelley, who shares strong clinical perspectives on the topic. The book is clearly written and easily understood. Cavalier’s drawings illustrate the book’s topics and share her own journey from suicidal ideation to strength and resilience. Cavalier also addresses her own spiritual growth based on her understanding of the teachings of the eighteenth-century visionary Emanuel Swedenborg, and she shares quotes from his work throughout.
The book provides encouragement, understanding, and awareness for those who are struggling with suicidal ideation and those whose loved ones are struggling with this problem. It includes exercises, journal prompts, and meditations focused toward healing and resilience, incorporating an opportunity for personal reflection and practice.
The book focuses on three main components: the five phases of suicidal ideation; the five phases of healing from suicidality; and the five phases of forgiveness. Each section delves into both the personal and the clinical, juxtaposing Cavalier’s story and Kelley’s clinical perspectives. Swedenborg quotes, journal prompts, exercises, and meditations facilitate the exploration of each phase. The book also includes a personalized safety plan for individuals experiencing suicidal ideation.
The five phases of suicidal ideation, according to the authors, include contemplation, hopelessness, despair, intent, and action. Each phase is discussed both from Cavalier’s personal experience and Kelley’s clinical perspective. The authors address topics such as the myths that surround suicidal thoughts, self-injury and its relationship to suicide, trauma and posttraumatic stress disorder, addiction, depression, poverty, men and suicide, and soldier suicide.
While readers may feel overwhelmed with the somber weightiness of these topics, Cavalier and Kelley find a balance between addressing them appropriately and focusing on the hope and resilience that develop through the healing process. They normalize the feelings and thoughts one might experience in each of these areas.
The authors skillfully guide the reader from an understanding of suicidal ideation to the healing portion of the journey. As in the other chapters, Cavalier’s personal experience blended with Kelley’s professional knowledge lay the foundation for the discussion. The five phases of healing include realization, clarity, motivation, resilience, and confidence. Each section is discussed in detail and, as in the previous chapter, allows for personal exploration and practice.
This chapter is followed by one entitled “Trailheads for Healing,” focusing on finding a “trailhead”: the beginning of a path toward healing. Kelley discusses three-evidenced based therapeutic modalities: dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, and internal family systems therapy. Noting that healing looks different for every individual, she honors alternative methods: “Complementary and alternative medicines (CAMs) are methods Gina used when overcoming trauma and suicidal ideation, including massage, cold plunges, breathwork, acupuncture, tai chi, and even something as simple as drinking green tea. If something is complementary, it is done in conjunction with other care (such as psychotherapy), whereas if it is alternative, it is in lieu of it.”
The chapter continues by highlighting several CAMs. Kelley also addresses the issues experienced by an empath or highly sensitive person who is healing from suicidal ideation, citing the need for setting boundaries.
The authors include a chapter exploring the spiritual principles that were essential for Cavalier as she walked her healing path. These principles include the connection between the soul and the body and all that it entails (including an afterlife) as well as the energetic component of the physical body and chakra balancing to overcome suicidal ideation. The discussion emphasizes that the individual is much more than the physical body.
Cavalier and Kelley usher the reader from healing toward forgiveness, a topic with which many individuals struggle. The authors cite a Berkeley study saying, “Forgiveness is a conscious, deliberate decision to release feelings of resentment or vengeance toward a person or group who has harmed you, regardless of whether they deserve your forgiveness.”
Kelley reminds us that the path of forgiveness is not a linear one, but movement on this path is positive and helpful. She describes the five phases of forgiveness—recognition, deeper awareness, personal choice, the work phase, and release—and their value for the healing journey. Cavalier identifies forgiveness as her “superpower.” This chapter provides the reader with both a metta (compassion) meditation and a ho’oponopono forgiveness practice inspired by the Hawaiian Huna tradition.
Interestingly, the book ends with a “forward” from both authors as they encourage the reader to continue the healing journey, recognizing that movement forward is a new beginning for one who has experienced suicidal ideation. Cavalier discusses finding Swedenborg and the messages that sustained her throughout her journey. She writes, “My desire to live a whole life became more substantial than my desire to die.”
Surviving Suicidal Ideation is a wonderful book for both professionals and nonprofessionals who wish to combine spirituality with a strong clinical perspective.
Barbara Hebert
Barbara Hebert, former president of the TSA, is a licensed mental health professional.