b'Dear Friend,We write to you as fellow suicide loss survivors, those who have lost loved ones or friends to suicide. Some of us are recent loss survivors; some of us lost loved ones a few years ago; and others have been suicide loss survivors for decades. Each of us has struggled in our own way with the pain and complexity of suicide loss.We each met through the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, and are members of the AFSP Loss and Healing Council, which works on behalf of suicide loss survivors throughout the country. Together, we have created this resource guide from our own experiences, hoping it will touch, inform and guide you on your own journey of healing.When survivors of suicide loss meet, there is often a painful embrace of shared understanding. To see someone else who has been where you are now, and who may be further along in their journey of understanding, canbe healingand provide hope. The burdens of loss and loneliness, pain and grief, anger and questions, sadness and guilt, belong to allof us.When we stand together and express our emotions, we begin to heal. When we come together and talk, we are less lonely. We hear our own questions and concerns voiced aloud by others, and feel a sense of comfort that someone understands. Theoverwhelming intensityof our painful thoughtsand emotions arediminished when spokenand shared.Healing is not a linear progressionand our loss is not meant to be overcome, but rather integrated into our lives as loss survivors.Throughoutour lives, we may have challenging times and re-experience our grief emotions, though hopefully Surviving a Suicide Loss 1'