Reed Fowler
Pastoral Care and Mental Illness
taught by Rev. Dr. Brooke Petersen
at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago
Fall 2018, revised Spring 2019
This is a constructive theology for people who have survived a suicide attempt. This paper moves through discussions on trauma and the impact of a suicide attempt, and arcs towards reintegration and reconciliation. It is not proposing a universal experience, but instead a framework of trauma work and care intertwined with faith life. The intended audience is both those who have survived a suicide attempted or survived suicidal ideation, and could be a helpful document for loved ones, faith leaders, and care providers.
The path of healing and recovery from the self-inflected trauma of a suicide attempt is shaped like a spiral seashell. There are times where it will feel like all the work you put into reconciling your suicide attempt, your trauma, your connection with the Divine, the work you put into reestablishing patterns and relationships, was for nothing. We sometimes experience more than we can handle, but that doesn’t mean we can’t survive and develop a deeper resilience and deeper connection to God. Where you are in process is valid. It’s okay to be grieving who you were before. How you thought the world worked. Who you thought God was. Our traditions and communities give us tools and support for survival and abundant life.
A prayer offering: Creative, loving, and merciful God, when we breathe we are with you, and you are with us. In suffering, pain, loss, liminal spaces, joy, and tentative hope. Let us root into the pungent soil of your good Creation, and become renewed in your grace. Be with us as we heal, and help us let go of past expectations on who we should be, or who we should become. May we witness your power and presence, tenderness and vulnerability, and notice those same qualities in ourselves. May we surround ourselves with communities and people who radiate forth with mutual care. We pray this in the name of Jesus, your beloved, and in the name of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Reed Fowler 