STORY 89
FACING THOUGHTS OF SUICIDETherapeutic Characteristics
Problems Addressed
■ Parental disharmony
■ Feelings of rejection
■ Not having a place
■ Being unloved
■ Suicidal thoughtsResources Developed
■ Acknowledging life is tough at times
■ Seeing that things could be worse
■ Seeing that things can be better
■ Choosing to live
■ Taking responsibility for your happinessOutcomes Offered
■ Personal responsibility
■ Empowerment
■ Hope
I am sure you have heard it said that “shit happens.” Sometimes it seems to happen to some
people a lot more than others. When Natasha started to tell the story of her teenage years, I had this
image of a giant mammoth in the sky with diarrhea. The mammoth seemed to be following her
around and dumping on her no matter where she went.
Natasha was a young adult when she told me her story. I’m not sure she ever told anyone when
she was a teenager because sometimes it’s hard to talk about things that seem so important to you—
particularly when you think they won’t be understood. And Natasha thought there wasn’t anyone
who really understood or cared about her.
Her story is complicated, but let me try to explain. When Natasha was thirteen, her parents
swapped partners with her best friend’s parents. Her best friend’s dad came to live with her mom, and
her dad moved out to live with her best friend’s mom. Neither parent had talked with Natasha or
her sister about it before. They just did it, and Natasha felt they didn’t give a damn about her or her
sister.
At first she lived with her mom and new stepdad. She had never really liked him, but now that
he’d taken her dad’s place she positively hated him. One day they started arguing over something.
When he got angry, she shouted at him, “You’re not my dad. You can’t order me around.”
“I am the head of the house now. You have to live by my rules,” he shouted back and lifted a
hand threateningly.
206 Healing Stories, Teaching Stories