Suicide, Despair and Soul Recovery: Finding the Light of God

Offering a warm and poetic reflection rather than an academic or scientific lecture, Dr. Ken Stifler attempts to encourage the suicidal individual to recognize despair as the calling card of life, the most fertile opportunity for spiritual renewal. Whether you are struggling with feelings of hopelessness and helplessness, or know someone who is, this book will be a valuable tool in helping reassess your life’s condition. Beginning with an all out assault on the suicidal impulse, Ken attempts to secure a stable situation for the individual before proceeding to more theoretical considerations about suicide in general. Moving on from there, the reader is led to assess their own situation in relation to a loss of heart, meaning, God and self. The author then attempts to instill a sense of hope while giving suggestions on how to recover a renewed relationship to the source of divine assistance, meaning, and love through grace, spiritual conversion, self acceptance, and a new vision of God. †

Ken Stifler, who holds a PhD in pastoral counseling, is a mental health consultant at Lynchburg General Hospital Emergency Department. He is also an adjunct instructor in the Graduate School of Education and Human Development at Lynchburg College.