Hope Illuminated Podcast
133 episodes - English - Latest episode: 9 days ago - ★★★★★ - 19 ratingsWelcome to the Hope Illuminated Podcast, your source for the stories, science and strategy of suicide prevention, mental health promotion and resilience where we live, learn, and work. I’m your host, Dr. Sally Spencer-Thomas, and I am on a life mission to empower communities with solutions that help people overcome isolation and despair and rekindle a passion for living. Each episode we’re joined by international experts who inspire hope and offer real guidance. Welcome to the show! I am so grateful you are here.
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Episodes
Suicide & The Workplace : Interview with Dr. Allison Milner | Episode 30
July 02, 2019 02:01 - 59 minutes - 54.2 MB" target="_blank" class="SocialLinks-link itunes" style=""> Suicide & The Workplace -- Globalization, Job Strain, and the Dark Side of the New Economy: Interview with Dr. Allison Milner | Episode 30 NOTE: This podcast will air on 2/26/19 at 10:00AM ET https://soundcloud.com/user-225414284-842732102 Overview Too often when we talk about mental health promotion and suicide prevention in the workplace, the main message is about how to get workers who are suffering to counselors. Not enough atten...
Peer Support & The Helper Effect When Doing Good Feels Good: Interview with Lt. John Coppedge Ep 29
July 02, 2019 01:20 - 52 minutes - 47.7 MBWhile peer support and peer specialist efforts have long existed in areas of mental health communities and post-critical incidents, their role in suicide prevention has been more recent. Some feared that peer support might increase vulnerability through the “copycat” phenomenon. Others were concerned that suicide was just too complicated of an issue for peers to try to take on. Then we listened to the voices of people with lived experience with suicidal intensity who told us over and over t...
A Warrior for Wellness One Man’s Epic Battle for Recovery: Interview with Gabe Howard | Episode 28
July 01, 2019 23:12 - 1 hour - 56.6 MBAfter listening to many people describe their experiences with suicidal intensity, I and others have come to think about the clash between the will to live and the desire to escape unimaginable emotional pain as an “epic battle” between fierce forces. On one side is the warrior fighting to live, continuing to make future plans and persevering toward health and vitality. At the same time the pain this warrior is battling can be all-consuming. In this interview we hear from one man about his ...
The A-Ha of the Ha-Ha -- 5 Ways Humor Helps Our Well-Being: Interview with Frank King | Episode 27
July 01, 2019 15:07 - 59 minutes - 54.2 MBI first became aware of the power of humor in wellness through my involvement with Cactus Inc. and our Man Therapy initiative. In this program, we used humorous outward facing media to draw men into the website portal and then self-assess for depression, anxiety, anger and substance use issues. When we evaluated the program, the humor was the #1 thing the guys told us they liked because it helped put them at ease. Having a sense of humor is a sign of emotional well-being. Here are five way...
Healing after Murder-Suicide Mother of Columbine Shooter Shares Grief Journey: Sue Klebold Ep 26
July 01, 2019 14:16 - 1 hour - 58.2 MBWhile only 2% of suicides are murder-suicides, the narrative of this tragedy dominates public consciousness. Due to the fact that the circumstances are horrific, and the media reports on these stories more frequently and with more details than most other community tragedies, it’s not surprising that we feel overwhelmed. What is often not discussed is the unimaginable grief and trauma left behind in the families of the perpetrators. In my interview with Sue Klebold, mother of Columbine shooter...
A Journey from Suicide Bereavement to Action: Master Sergeant Christopher D. Jachimiec | Ep 25
July 01, 2019 13:51 - 57 minutes - 52.8 MB“I don’t expect my friends to understand what I’ve been through. When I’m around Veterans, like-minded Veterans, I don’t have to explain myself. They already know.” ~Male Veteran In this podcast, Master Sergeant Christopher D. Jachimiec shares the tragedy of losing his brother Adam to suicide. We explore our shared grief experiences as sibling survivors of suicide loss and the making meaning process. Out of catastrophe we have options — to get buried under, to gloss over or to go through. Ch...
The Unimaginable Grief Parents Bereaved by their Children’s Suicide: Dr. Sharon McDonnell | Ep 24
July 01, 2019 13:07 - 58 minutes - 54 MBWhen we talk about suicide bereavement, we often think about the grief part of the response, but sometimes we forget that the experience of losing a loved one to suicide is also traumatic. When a parent loses a child to suicide, the complications of traumatic grief are frequently unparalleled. For many, their core beliefs about the world and themselves are shattered and the pieces take a while to pull back together — like “someone pulled the pin on the grenade and threw it into the (emotional...
Ashes in the Ocean -- Men and Suicide Grief: Interview with Sebastian Slovin | Episode 23
July 01, 2019 02:56 - 59 minutes - 54.9 MBIn this podcast I interview Sebastian Slovin, author of “Ashes in the Ocean: A Son’s Story of Living though and Learning from his Father’s suicide. We touch upon themes of survival, stigma and safe space and how he was able to grow up in the shadow of suicide and piece together a narrative and a life worth living. Sebastian shares to other men, “Not feeling does not work” in the grief healing journey. He talks openly and honestly about how peer and professional support — even spiritual connec...
Suicide Crisis Services What to Know When You Need a Lifeline: Jennifer Battle | Episode 22
July 01, 2019 02:13 - 1 hour - 57.2 MBMental health crises occur when our ability to cope is overwhelmed by the internal and external stressors in our life. Sometimes crises are related to inner experiences like worsening depression, mania, psychosis or other symptoms of a mental health condition. Sometimes they are in reaction to an external stressor like trauma, divorce or intense grief. Often times it’s many things coming together in a point in time. For whatever reason, in that moment, people often feel unable to resolve the ...
The Resilience of Our Elders : Heidi Bryan and Dr. Yeates Conwell Ep 21
July 01, 2019 01:08 - 1 hour - 55.8 MBIn many societies we are predominantly youth-focused and overlook the healthcare and policy needs of our elders. This ageist perspective often leads to cultural scripts that prevent us from listening better to alleviate suffering and increase reasons for living, and ultimately help us all live well into our golden years. In the podcast our panel includes two experts a leading researcher of geriatric psychiatry and a co-founder of United Survivors Suicide International who has tremendous exp...
Disruptive System Change Tackling the Injustice of Suicide: Interview with John Mendoza | Episode 20
July 01, 2019 00:03 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBWhen it comes to engaging a wider circle in our suicide prevention and mental health promotion movements, we need to take a page from the playbook of other social justice movements. How do we “make the message stick”? How can we bring the call to action to life? How do we create a tipping point of change? Successful agents of change are able to connect the dots and “bake in” tactics within a broader system, making suicide prevention and mental health promotion everyone’s priority. They also ...
The 3 Cs of Suicide Crisis Response : Interview with Dr. John Draper Ep 19
June 30, 2019 23:11 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBEarly in his career Dr. John Draper had a lightbulb moment when he was on suicide watch for patients while they were being "treated" with isolation and restraints; he thought "we can do better." Today, John is one of the global leaders transforming crisis care for people on their worst day. He has helped spark an evolution through his leadership of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by using data, standards of excellence and the input of people with lived experience to continually impro...
The Papageno Effect : Interview with Dr. Thomas Niederkrotenthaler | Episode 18
June 30, 2019 17:25 - 1 hour - 57.5 MBWhat does it mean to "promote the positive" in suicide prevention? When we are inundated with discouraging data about increasing suicide rates and tragic stories of suicide loss, our hearts are moved to the urgency of the need to "do something;" however, sometimes we feel hopeless that we can ever get in front of this daunting issue. The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention put forth guidelines that help us understand a framework for successful messaging about suicide prevention...
Youth Change Makers Power, Empathy & Creativity Unleashed: Stan P. Collins | Episode 17
June 30, 2019 16:05 - 1 hour - 55.1 MBHow do we communicate about suicide with teens? Perhaps, they are the ones in the best position to tell us. framework_w309.png The National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention recommends strategy, safety and a positive narrative when messaging about suicide. Messages and images that encourage hope are better than ones that imply "nothing can be done." Messages that celebrate resilience, healing journeys and compassion are better than ones that romanticize death or are voyeuristic or sens...
The New "Stop, Drop and Roll" : Interview with Dr. Ursula Whiteside | Episode 16
June 30, 2019 15:17 - 1 hour - 57 MBWhen people experience suicidal thoughts, a helpful best practice is to find collaborative ways to build "safety agreements" or "safety plans" (Stanley & Brown) or to engage with apps that help people cope with suicidal intensity like the "Virtual Hope Box." These tools can be very useful in keeping the suicidal thoughts at a safe distance as time passes and their intensity lessens. The Harvard School of Public Health's Means Matter project published findings that when a suicide crisis hits...
From Awareness to Action Best Practices in Training for Suicide Prevention: Dr. Paul Quinnett Ep 15
June 30, 2019 14:01 - 1 hour - 56.1 MBWith high profile celebrity suicides dominating the headlines in June, the topic of suicide was on the mind of many. While we still have a ways to go to undo the misperceptions, prejudice and discrimination that surrounds suicide and suicidal intensity, we need move beyond just "raising awareness" in our efforts. We need to take action. My recent blog "From Awareness to Action: We All Need to Fight in the War against Suicide" calls for a revolution -- a revolution of the heart. One of the ...
Owning Your Traumas 3 Ways to Live with Trauma with Love and Power: Jorge Narvaez | Episode 14
June 30, 2019 13:22 - 58 minutes - 53.7 MBIn light of the “Zero Tolerance Policy” that is forcibly separating children from their families at the US/Mexico border, childhood trauma is a hot topic. We know that child separation from family increases risk for suicide, especially when the separation is traumatic. Averse childhood experiences have a massive impact on future risky health behavior, chronic health conditions, and early death in what we call a “dose-effect relationship” — that is as the number of averse events increases, so ...
Resilience and the Transgender Community Living Out Loud: Interview with Iden Campbell | Episode 13
June 30, 2019 12:37 - 59 minutes - 54.8 MB41% of adults who identify as transgender have attempted suicide (versus 4.6% of U.S. general population and 10-20% of LGB adults). The issues driving this despair are usually best understood through a lens of social justice. Discrimination, trauma and the consequences of minority stress are often at the root of suicidal despair within the trans community (AFSP). Rejection by friends and family is common among people who identify as transgender, and conversely when trans people have strong s...
Promoting Mental Health through Sport: Interview with Sean McCarthy | Episode 12
June 30, 2019 03:52 - 1 hour - 56.9 MBMany of us consider "Suicide Prevention Gatekeeper Training" to be similar to CPR. Before we knew the ABCs of CPR and the Heimlich Maneuver, people would just watch on helplessly as someone choked in front of them. Today, we give millions of people every year a relatively brief training so that they will have the competence and confidence to step up and save someone's life. Just like CPR, suicide prevention gatekeeper trainings like Question, Persuade, Refer (QPR) and safeTALK teach everyd...
Leadership, Strategy & System Change: Interview with Stuart Binstock & Michelle Walker | Episode 11
June 30, 2019 03:15 - 59 minutes - 54.7 MBIn order for mental health promotion and suicide prevention to be successful, leadership must be bold and engaged. The leaders who are most successful in creating change are those who address these seemingly taboo subjects head-on, in a matter-of-fact way. They find ways to “bake in” tactics into other places where healthy and safety are priorities. Leaders who are most influential in creating a caring culture at the workplace are able to build a business case that looks at the ROI of inves...
Sleep, Stress and the Science of the Mind-Body Connection: Whitney McKnight | Episode 10
June 30, 2019 02:36 - 1 hour - 56.4 MBAbout 350 years ago, philosopher René Descartes took the brain out of the body – and we’ve been trying to put it back ever since. Descartes believed that the immaterial mind was separate from that matter of the body, and this dualism started many down a path of treating mind and body differently. In this episode, we work to reunite the two to explore how their interconnectivity affects well-being. In this episode, we talk about how critical bodily functions like sleep, pain and our stress re...
3 Ways to Build Resilience at Work: Interview with Judge (Ret.) Mary McClatchey | Episode 8
June 30, 2019 01:51 - 55 minutes - 51.2 MBEmployers are often challenged recruiting and retaining top talent. How can you address this problem? A resilient workforce and a mindset of a wellness culture at work. This strategy also helps promote mental health and prevent suicide. In this highly engaging interview, Judge (Ret.) Mary McClatchey makes the business case for emotional well-being at work. She concludes by sharing three take-aways that will help employers build a more psychologically hardy workplace. For more information on t...
Military Suicide Grief an Interview with Kim Ruocco | Episode 6
June 29, 2019 16:54 - 1 hour - 57.8 MBIn this episode I have this distinctive honor of interviewing Kim Ruocco from TAPS who shares her personal and professional journey after suicide loss. We discussed the challenges of suicide grief -- how we balance honoring the lives our loved ones lived with fears of contagion in the community. How do we support children -- especially young children -- left in suicide's wake? The paradox of traumatic grief and the tensions of postvention are also explored. We identify a long list of resource...
Making Meaning after a Mental Health or Suicide Crisis Dr. DeQuincy Lezine | Episode 7
June 29, 2019 16:40 - 55 minutes - 50.8 MBFor people who are in the midst of a mental health or suicide crisis, the focus is often “how do we survive this?” How do we get through each day? Sometimes it’s an effort just to get by moment to moment. It’s hard to consider how to integrate these experiences into the narrative of our lives. In this episode, we hear a powerful story of a man who has been a role model for so many in showing us how this can be done. Listen in to learn more from the science, stories and strategies DeQuincy sha...
What You Need to Know about Peer Support Eduardo Vega | Episode 9
June 29, 2019 16:08 - 1 hour - 56.3 MBI have long believed that peer support is an underappreciated link in the chain of survival for suicide prevention. Trained peer specialists can not only help hold the pain for others, they can also help advocate for them and connect them to trusted resources. These helping relationships offer compassion and kinship and can augment and even replace other forms of professional care. We rise by lifting others.jpg In this inspirational podcast I have the great honor of interviewing one of my mo...
What You Need to Know about Mental Health Crisis Response Strategy David Covington | Episode 4
June 29, 2019 15:12 - 1 hour - 60 MBWhen people are in the depths of a mental health crisis the last thing they need is a response that is based in fear. Having a crisis response strategy that is rooted in dignity and compassion can make all the difference. Join me in my interview with international visionary David Covington, who shares with us his journey in implementing crisis services from many leadership perspectives. David shares compelling science that challenges our misperceptions of what works and provides a road map fo...
How to Best Support Someone Living with a Mental Health Condition Kevin and Margaret Hines Ep 5
June 29, 2019 15:11 - 1 hour - 58 MBMeet my dear friends Kevin and Margaret Hines. Theirs is a true partnership, and I feel very honored to witness their love. Being a caregiver for someone living with a major mental health condition like bipolar disorder is not easy. Let's be honest, our mental healthcare system is challenging -- even when people are mentally well, let alone when they are in the grips of a mental health crisis. Friends and family are often the overlooked links in the chain of survival. I had the pleasure of...
9 Tips for Effective Construction Suicide Prevention: Jorgen Gullestrup of MATES Ep 2
June 29, 2019 14:31 - 52 minutes - 48 MBJorgen Gullestrup's LinkedIn profile lists him as a plumber and suicidologist; a Danish man from Brisbane, Australia. The truth is since 2007, he has helped revolutionize how the construction industry addresses suicide prevention, and his innovative strategies are now recognized internationally. Listen to his 9 top take-away tips from a decade of discovering best practices in moving an industry from awareness to action. Jorgen Gullestrup, CEO MATES in Construction Jorgen Gullestrup, CEO MATE...
Storytelling and Suicide Prevention: “THE S WORD” Movie Producer Lisa Klein | Episode 3
June 29, 2019 13:31 - 52 minutes - 72 MBEffective storytelling is critical to the suicide prevention and suicide grief support efforts. Intimate, vulnerable, inspiring stories let us know we are not alone. Stories of recovery allow us to see a road map before us that leads us out of our despair. For more information on this and every episode go to https://www.sallyspencerthomas.com/hope-illuminated-podcast/3 Speaking the word itself is not the problem. The silence that so often follows is. THE S WORD, a feature-length documentary...
Why are men so lonely? Preventing Deaths of Despair with Dr. Thomas Joiner | Episode 1
June 29, 2019 13:21 - 59 minutes - 54.2 MBEpisode 1: Why are Men So Lonely? Preventing Deaths of Despair with Dr. Thomas Joiner This podcast answers the question: “why are so many men of working age finding themselves in unbearable psychological pain that leads them to deaths of despair?” in a conversation with international thought leader and psychologist Dr. Thomas Joiner. Dr. Thomas Joiner Dr. Thomas Joiner Dr. Thomas Joiner, author of “Lonely at the Top: The High Cost of Men’s Success” and “Why People Die by Suicide”, has spen...
A New Age of On-Line Support - Jeff Dorchester and Dion Gonzales of iRel8.org | Episode 38
June 25, 2019 14:00 - 1 hour - 56.6 MBSeems every day there is a new app designed to support some angle of well-being. Many are seeing great opportunity in the integration of technology and mental health. With technology we have awareness of mental health issues and ease of access to resources like never before. Many cost effective supports found on-line are great supplements to in-person therapy, some work just fine by themselves (I’m a big fan to Brain.fm and Others are seeing how our obsession with technology can turn into a h...
Lessons Learned from Colorado The Good Bad and Ugly of Marijuana and Mental Health Ben Cort Ep 37
June 21, 2019 14:00 - 1 hour - 68.5 MBA recent Scientific American article entitled is “Cannabis Good or Bad for Mental Health?” suggested that if you think you understand cannabis and its impact on our well-being, you probably don’t. With over 500 chemical constituents, interacting at different doses and ingested by different means, there are endless permutations of complexity for the ways cannabis can impact our emotional health. We can’t slap one label on it as either “all helpful” or “all harmful” when it comes to the impact ...
The Role of Arts in Healing A Conversation with an Indigenous Trauma Survivor; Swil Kanim Episode 36
June 06, 2019 14:00 - 55 minutes - 50.7 MB5 Ways the Arts Can Play a Role in Healing While you may know me as a psychologist, what you may not know is that I was also a Studio Art major in College, and the arts have always played a big role in my life. Over my career, I have continually tried to connect the dots between emotional recovery and the power of the arts, sometimes downplayed by researchers who claim there is a lack of evidence to show a connection. The American Journal of Public Health, however, published a meta review of ...