I thought THE S WORD was a “sword”. My favorite weapon is a sword. Imagination can take you anywhere. My imagination takes me to places like Wyoming and China. A suicide attempt at age 8 doesn’t define me. I can re-imagine myself. –Gabriel Reyes, Age 9
I have gotten to know Craig through interviews and hanging out while filming The S Word - of which he has become an integral part. I am so proud to call him my friend - my extremely talented friend. Read this poem - his photos, his books and other poems at thisishowitfeels.com and you’ll know [...]
It was about a year after my son Noah’s suicide, at a conference for survivors of suicide loss, when I first heard someone describe what led to their own suicide attempt. My hackles bristled so fiercely I couldn’t hear the details. I resisted being dragged inside that bleak and scary place, as if despair were [...]
I’ll never forget the bitter winter morning a few years ago when my life would be forever changed, as it would for a woman we’ll call Rose - a young, single, working mom with another on the way. Rose wanted what we all want - a better life for her kids. I could easily relate. [...]
A poem by Craig Miller Maybe someday I’ll walk from this basement Silver and lead in my hand I’ll open the front door to face it The world that beat up my head And maybe that will be it. Or maybe I’ll just stand in the sunset And hesitate for a bit Reversing the scenes [...]
He used to be a couple of years older than me. I am now five years older than him because he decided to end his life. As the years pass, he will stay 39 and I will continue to grow older. I still sometimes blame myself. The “what if’s” and “If I had only’s…” never [...]
I am a more compassionate parent to my son because I live with suicidal thoughts. And it took me until this moment to realize that. Since trying to end my life over 15 years ago, I have seen a lot of doctors, tried a lot of different therapies, and a lot of diagnoses have been [...]
The dark hotel room lurked around me; the cold blue and gray carpet oozing the dank sani-odor of disinfectants and air freshener. Hotel rooms are the Rorschachs of the soul, commoditized dwelling units designed as homes away from homes but always failing. What you see in a hotel room is what you bring to the [...]
In this 3-part conversation, "Physical Health Bias in the Medical System,” psychologist Dr. April Foreman, psychologist Dr. William Schmitz Jr. and suicide loss survivor Shirlee Zane tell us why the medical system is failing our society when it comes to mental health and suicide prevention.
Growing up in ultimate survival mode-- my father was a Vietnam veteran Air Force pilot-- and still living in survival mode is sometimes very overwhelming.
