Lost a Brother or Sister to Suicide
Survivors of Suicide Loss Support Group - Madison, NJ
Losing a sibling to suicide is a painful experience. Sibling relationships can be complicated since they are often the first friend you had when you were growing up and you may have always shared your thoughts and secrets with them. The grief from losing a brother or sister to suicide can bring feelings of abandonment and betrayal. The following books specifically deal with healing after the suicide death of a sibling. They are a mixture of books that specifically focus on the unique grief that occurs after a suicide death of a brother or sister. The last three books focus more on the generalized grief that follows the death of a sibling. They all discuss healing after a suicide death of a sibling.
To see more about any book, click on the cover or title to be taken to Amazon.com. While at Amazon.com you can see the reviews by other readers and also read part of the book by using their "Look Inside The Book" feature. Many of these books are available in hardcover, paperback or Kindle eBook format.
Reading List About Grief From the Loss of a Sibling to Suicide
Do They Have Bad Days in Heaven? Surviving the Suicide Loss of a Sibling
Author: Michelle Linn-Gust
ISBN: 0972331808
Do They Have Bad Days in Heaven? Surviving the Suicide Loss of a Sibling is the first comprehensive resource for sibling suicide survivors. Michelle Linn-Gust takes the reader through the personal experience of losing her younger sister Denise Linn and weaves in the available research for sibling survivors. Michelle also journeys sibling loss through the life span. No matter how old you are, you’ll find valuable help in Do They Have Bad Days in Heaven?
Michelle explains suicide, the grief process, and how sibling death impacts the brothers and sisters left behind. She adds practical advice for how sibling suicide survivors can help themselves.
This book is also wonderful for those who want to reach out to sibling survivors including parents, teacher, counselors, and friends. Reading Do They Have Bad Days in Heaven? assists them in understanding the grief process that the sibling survivor endures.
Included are resource pages filled with helpful places for sibling survivors to search for specific information.
Most significant, however, is that Do They Have Bad Days in Heaven? delivers a message of hope that one can survive a sibling suicide death.
An Empty Chair: Living in the Wake of a Sibling's Suicide
Author: Sara Swan Miller
ISBN: 0595095232
At least 30,000 people kill themselves in the United States alone, most leaving behind shocked siblings. Yet, too often, the grief and bewilderment of surviving siblings is simply ignored, leaving the bereaved siblings feeling even more abandoned. The accounts of siblings' experiences in this book are based on interviews with more than thirty people from all over the United States, as well as the author's own experience of losing a sister to suicide. Just as sibling relationships are varied and complex, so the feelings and experiences of sibling suicide survivors run a long and complex gamut from deep grief, to anger, to guilt, to relief. Often these feelings are intermixed. The survivors are often bewildered by the complexity of their feelings, including reactions that may seem shameful or inappropriate. These moving accounts will help other sibling survivors of sibling suicide see that they are not alone. No matter what their feelings and reactions are, there are others who have shared them.
The Forgotten Mourners: Sibling Survivors of Suicide
Author: John's Sister
ISBN: 1432783688
Alone in the Shadows of Grief This book is meant for anyone who has lost a brother or sister to suicide - the forgotten mourners - and those who want to provide them support. Any loss is difficult, but a loss to suicide is heightened because of the helplessness and confusion surrounding it. A sibling loss to suicide is even more unique because the sibling(s) left behind are often forgotten - mourning the loss of their brother or sister alone in the shadows of their grief. This book discusses some of the challenges sibling survivors of suicide will face, both individually and as a family unit, including: -- What can I expect during the grieving process as a sibling survivor of suicide? -- How can I set boundaries to take care of myself? -- Will my relationship with my parents change? -- How do I answer questions about my now-departed sibling? -- Who am I without my sibling? -- What can I do to get through the holidays and anniversaries? -- How do I keep my brother or sister alive in my life, without him or her physically present? These questions and more are answered directly from the author's experiences following the loss of her eighteen year-old brother to suicide in November 2001. Hopefully, these experiences will give sibling survivors of suicide a bit of strength, hope, and peace in navigating the long road to healing ahead.
Author: Alan D. Wolfelt PhD
ISBN: 1879651297
Compassionate and heartfelt, this collection offers 100 practical ideas to help understand and accept the passing of a sibling in order to practice self-healing. The principles of grief and mourning are clearly defined, accompanied by action-oriented tips for embracing bereavement. Whether a sibling has died as a young or older adult or the death was sudden or anticipated, this resource provides a healthy approach to dealing with the aftermath.
SURVIVING THE DEATH OF A SIBLING: Living Through Grief When an Adult Brother or Sister Dies
Author: T. J. Wray
ISBN: 0609809806
When T.J. Wray lost her 43-year-old brother, her grief was deep and enduring and, she soon discovered, not fully acknowledged. Despite the longevity of adult sibling relationships, surviving siblings are often made to feel as if their grief is somehow unwarranted. After all, when an adult sibling dies, he or she often leaves behind parents, a spouse, and even children—all of whom suffer a more socially recognized type of loss.
Based on the author's own experiences, as well as those of many others, Surviving the Death of a Sibling helps adults who have lost a brother or sister to realize that they are not alone in their struggle. Just as important, it teaches them to understand the unique stages of their grieving process, offering practical and prescriptive advice for dealing with each stage.
In Surviving the Death of a Sibling, T.J. Wray discusses:
• Searching for and finding meaning in your sibling's passing
• Using a grief journal to record your emotions
• Choosing a grief partner to help you through tough times
• Dealing with insensitive remarks made by others
Warm and personal, and a rich source of useful insights and coping strategies, Surviving the Death of a Sibling is a unique addition to the literature of bereavement.
Sibling Grief: Healing After the Death of a Sister or Brother
Author: Pleasant White
ISBN: 1605280119
P. Gill White, PhD, has done an outstanding job of writing on a much-needed subject within the bereavement community. As siblings sadly are often the forgotten" grievers when the death of their brother or sister occurs, a book such as this is greatly needed. Dr. White's insights and experiences as both a bereaved sibling herself and as a sibling grief counselor are sure to be a great help to all who read her book."-Patricia L. Moser, president of Bereaved Parents of the USA "A book for professional caregivers and grieving siblings alike."-Robert B. Simmonds, Ph.D., author of Emotional Wellness Matters P. Gill White, PhD, was only fifteen when her sister Linda made her swear not to tell anyone about the pain she had in her side, fearing it would spoil an upcoming family vacation. Linda died four months later from a rare form of cancer. White and her family never talked about the loss until decades later, when memories began to haunt her.Sibling Grief is White's validation of the emotional significance of sibling loss. She draws on both clinical experience and her own deeply personal experience, along with wisdom from hundreds of bereaved siblings, to explain the five healing tasks unique to sibling grief. White also describes the dream patterns of bereaved siblings, showing how healing is reflected in the dream state.Throughout, she illustrates the long-lasting connection between siblings-a connection that death itself cannot sever.