Many survivors have found it is therapeutic to keep a journal. Writing is an excellent way to get in touch with what we are feeling.It gives us a chance to express whatever we wish with no attention on how it might sound to another. When you record your feelings, you no longer have to continually replay them in your head.
After a suicide, there is often unfinished business between you and the deceased, things unsaid, conflicts unresolved. Survivors have been known to write letters and burn them, or leave them at graves or other significant places. These communications can provide you with a sense of closure that is not present after a sudden death.
Many people find that posting on the Alliance of Hope Forum for Suicide Survivors is very healing. We believe this is not only because they are able to connect with others who understand their loss, but because in the course of posting, they are journaling. Research has shown that journaling helps people to heal following traumatic loss.
