Blog | Center For Mindful Psychotherapy

Kathryn September 12, 2025

10 Ways Art and Music Therapy Serve as Pathways Away from Suicidal Thinking

Find a Therapist For individuals experiencing suicidal thoughts, traditional therapy can feel overwhelming. Finding words for pain is not always possible, and verbal processing alone may not fully capture the depth of despair. This is where creative therapies become essential. Art and music therapy as pathways away from suicidal thinking offer alternative ways of expressing emotion, building resilience, and reconnecting...

Kathryn September 11, 2025

How DBT Skills Support People Living with Suicidal Ideation

Living with suicidal ideation is often overwhelming. Thoughts of ending one’s life can feel relentless, leaving little space for hope or relief. For many, these thoughts are not a sign of weakness but a reflection of intense emotional pain and the absence of effective coping strategies. Dialectical Behavior Therapy, better known as DBT, was developed specifically with people in mind...

Kathryn September 10, 2025

Internal Family Systems (IFS) and the Parts of Us That Want to Give Up

Suicidal thoughts often feel like an internal battle. One part of us longs to live, while another insists that giving up is the only way forward. For many, this struggle can feel shameful and isolating, as though the very existence of suicidal thoughts means something is deeply wrong. Internal Family Systems (IFS) offers a compassionate alternative. It reframes suicidal ideation...

Kathryn September 9, 2025

How Somatic Experiencing Helps Heal Suicidal Despair

When despair becomes overwhelming, it can feel as though the body itself is carrying a weight too heavy to bear. For many people living with suicidal thoughts, the pain is not only psychological but also deeply physical, manifesting as tightness in the chest, heaviness in the limbs, or a sense of collapse that words cannot capture. Traditional talk therapy can...

Kathryn September 8, 2025

The Role of Perfectionism and People-Pleasing in Suicidal Ideation

Suicidal thoughts do not emerge in isolation. They often take root in patterns of thinking and behaving that place unbearable pressure on individuals. Among the most significant of these patterns are perfectionism and people-pleasing. The role of perfectionism and people-pleasing in suicidal ideation is profound because both tendencies create impossible standards, leave little room for authentic self-expression, and contribute to...

Kathryn September 7, 2025

12 Mindfulness Practices That Can Help Create Space in Moments of Suicidal Crisis

When suicidal urges surface, they can feel overwhelming and all-consuming. Thoughts arrive suddenly and with great intensity, leaving little space between the impulse and the despair that fuels it. In these moments, the ability to pause can make a profound difference. While professional support is essential, mindfulness practices can offer simple, grounding tools that help create that pause, anchor you...

Kathryn September 6, 2025

Transpersonal Psychology and the Search for Meaning Beyond Suicidality

When someone is living with suicidal thoughts, the pain often runs deeper than daily stressors or surface-level struggles. At the heart of suicidality there is often a profound crisis of meaning. People may feel cut off from purpose, from belonging, or from a sense of connection to something larger than themselves. Transpersonal psychology offers a way to reframe despair not...

Kathryn September 5, 2025

How Attachment Styles Relate to Suicidal Thinking

Attachment is one of the most powerful forces in human development. From birth onward, the way we bond with caregivers shapes how we see ourselves, how we connect with others, and how we respond to distress. For many, attachment provides security and resilience. For others, it creates vulnerabilities that can echo across a lifetime. In recent decades, therapists and researchers...

Kathryn September 4, 2025

Intergenerational Trauma and Its Link to Suicide in Families

The stories families carry across generations often shape identity, relationships, and resilience. Yet, when trauma is left unacknowledged or unresolved, it can echo through time, influencing the mental health of future generations. The exploration of intergenerational trauma and its link to suicide in families has become a crucial area of research and clinical practice. Families who have endured war, displacement,...

Kathryn September 3, 2025

Suicide Risk During Major Life Transitions (Divorce, Retirement, Moving)

Life is a series of transitions. While many changes bring growth and opportunity, others create stress, instability, and loss. Divorce, retirement, and moving are three major life events that can significantly increase the risk of suicidal thoughts. The relationship between suicide risk during major life transitions and mental health is complex, but understanding it is essential for prevention. These transitions...