126: Hard Conversations: Preventing Suicide

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Dr. Quintin Cook joins Natasha on this episode of the Natasha Helfer Podcast. They discuss a difficult topic: preventing suicide. More on Dr. Cook: My journey towards being a therapist began when I was 8 years old: my oldest brother died by suicide, my youngest brother developed schizophrenia, and I was sexually abused. It was then, at 8, my own suicidal thoughts began. Throughout my adolescence and early adulthood I struggled with deep feelings of depression, that no one could ever love me, and that even my feelings and emotions did not matter. I even felt God hated me because of the trauma I had gone through and more because of who I was attracted to. The only way I knew how to receive some pieces of love and acceptance I deeply desire was to hid myself and my feelings from everyone around me. My trauma, my family's trauma, and our struggles to get help that helped us deal with OUR patterns of generational trauma is what pushed me towards doctoral education (PhD) and studying what makes someone suicidal and how to help the process of suicide bereavement. It was through this process of studying suicidality over nearly two decades that I was finally able to see the patterns of generational trauma many suicidal folks live in—and I was finally able to see the patterns of generational trauma in my own life and how my own compulsion to hide myself perpetuated the patterns of self-hatred, depression, and loneliness. Identifying the patterns of trauma in my life allowed me to believe that I did not deserve my trauma, that my emotions mattered, and that I mattered. I was finally able to advocate for myself and have been able to finally, for the first time to develop friendships and accept love that others were willing to offer but I was unable to see. You can check out more information at his practice: Olive View Therapy: https://www.oliveviewtherapy.com To help keep this podcast going, please consider donating at natashahelfer.com and share this episode. To watch the video of this podcast, you can subscribe to Natasha'