S5E3-Surviving Suicide Loss: Healing Survivor’s Guilt with Verline Davis, LPC on JR’s Hunt for Life – Safe Talk Podcast

In this deeply honest and compassionate episode of JR’s Hunt for Life Suicide Prevention Podcast, Safe Talk, host Jenny Hunter is joined once again by Verline Davis, a licensed professional counselor with advanced training in trauma and child therapy, including EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Together, they tackle one of the heaviest and least-talked-about experiences after suicide loss: survivor’s guilt.

Drawing from both personal and professional experience, Verlene shares her story of losing her first husband to suicide after years of attempts, safety planning, and trying everything she could think of to help him stay. She also talks about family members and clients who have been impacted by suicide, reminding listeners that “survivors” are not just spouses and parents, but also children, classmates, coworkers, church communities, and even people who have attempted suicide themselves and lived.

Jenny and Verline explore how guilt, “what ifs,” and self-blame can consume a survivor’s life, block healing, and even lead to their own suicidal thoughts. They discuss the reality that, no matter how much we love someone, we cannot control another person’s final decision, and that it is possible — and necessary — to move toward self-forgiveness, compassion, and post-traumatic growth.

In this episode, they explore:

​ What suicide survivor’s guilt looks and feels like in everyday life

​ Why our brains latch on to “What if I’d done more?” and “Why didn’t I…?”

​ The hard truth that someone who is fully determined may still find a way — and why that doesn’t mean you failed

​ How guilt can spiral into addictions, legal trouble, relationship struggles, and self-destructive choices

​ The importance of postvention (getting help after a suicide loss) through counseling, EMDR, and supportive community

​ Practical tools for healing:

​ Writing letters to the person who died and letting anger, pain, and love all come out on the page

​ Drawing or coloring to move feelings from the inside to the outside

​ Learning to reframe the story over time by looking at what you did do, rather than what you think you missed

​ Allowing tears, anger, and questions without judgment

​ How nutrition, protein, and B vitamins can support a grieving brain and body that often forgets to eat, or turns only to comfort foods

​ Ways friends and family can support a survivor with healthy food, presence, and patience

​ Why counselors are often a safe place to talk: confidential, nonjudgmental, and focused on helping you find your own path forward

Jenny also shares pieces of her own journey after losing her son JR, including exhaustion, moments of conflicted relief, and watching her daughter struggle under the weight of guilt — and how therapy, EMDR, and time helped open space for healing and self-compassion.

This episode is for anyone living with that quiet thought: “It’s my fault” — and for those who love someone carrying that burden.

Visit jrshuntforlife.org or join the private Facebook community “JR’s Hunt for Life” for confidential connection, education, and hope.

🎙️ Credits“Safe Talk” is hosted by Jenny Hunter, founder of the global suicide-prevention movement J.R.'s Hunt; For Life. Voiceover courtesy of Billy Floyd, media broadcaster and positive influencer. Featuring music by “Sounds of Soul,” courtesy of Fearless Motivation, this episode is produced by Angel Mountain Media.

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🕊️ No judgments. Talk saves lives.

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