Mending Piece by Piece

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains depictions of death and suicide. We understand that some may find these activating and/or disturbing. Please check the show notes for more detailed descriptions and additional resources. If you or someone you love is struggling with thoughts of suicide please call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

Description:

Losing a loved one to suicide brings a unique set of challenges and emotions. In this episode of Mending Piece by Piece Podcast, host Linda Falasco delves deeper into the intricate journey of grieving a suicide loss, particularly focusing on the painful process of planning a funeral.

As Linda reflects on the day before the funeral while trying to write a eulogy for her brother, a flood of emotions overwhelms her. As she would learn later in her journey this was the "new normal in an abnormal grief," grappling with intense feelings of sadness, guilt, fear, anxiety, and profound heartache. Amidst this turmoil, she is confronted with societal norms that stigmatize expressions of grief, especially among men, sparking questions about her brother's own experience and the broader issue of male suicide.

The narrative unfolds as Linda shares poignant moments from the funeral preparations, including the emotional process of writing a eulogy, the somber visitation, and the challenging encounter with an insensitive undertaker. Through raw and honest storytelling, listeners are invited to witness the complexities of grief and the societal barriers that hinder its expression.

Key moments in this episode include:

(1:35) Exploring the multifaceted emotions following a suicide loss

(9:40) Fond memories and reflections on Jeff

(16:20, 18:00) The journey to the funeral service and the overwhelming sight of Jeff at the funeral home 

(21:00) Confronting societal attitudes towards grief, particularly regarding men's emotions 

(24:30) Navigating challenges and insensitivity during the funeral 

Join Linda Falasco as she courageously shares her story, offering insight, solace, and understanding to those grappling with similar experiences of loss and grief. Tune in to Mending Piece by Piece Podcast for an intimate exploration of healing in the wake of suicide.

CONNECT WITH LINDA:

https://linktr.ee/lindafalascolcsw

Facebook: @lindafalascolcsw / Instagram: @lindafalascolcsw / TikTok: @lindafalascolcsw

YouTube: @lindafalascolcsw 

Sign up for the Mending Piece by Piece newsletter at lindafalascolcsw.com/signup 

Mending Piece By Piece: A Workbook & Journal for Navigating Grief with Hope

Amazon: https://a.co/d/bNI8V3I

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mending-piece-by-piece-lcsw-licsw-linda-falasco/1145157190?ean=9798989510405

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/Home
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education: https://save.org/

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains depictions of death and suicide. We understand that some may find these activating and/or disturbing. Please check the show notes for more detailed descriptions and additional resources. If you or someone you love is struggling with thoughts of suicide please call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

After the loss of a loved one, there is so much to do. From making the calls, contacting a funeral home, making the arrangements and so much more. It is difficult no matter how old you are or how many funerals you have been to, but when you are younger and this is one of your first funerals it can be extremely overwhelming.

This week the story continues as I share the next few days after my brother Jeff passed away.  After losing a sibling the family as I knew it was gone. I was facing the realization that I just lost the parents I once knew and trying to step up and take care of everything. Trying to protect them from more hurt and in a naive way "not cause any more pain" by sharing my hurt. 

Having a loved one take their own life adds other dynamics to the grief journey that cause deeper pain, shame, and stigma. Working with a funeral director who was ignorant and rude was just the beginning. Then when at the church it really set in after hearing a priest say "we don't do funerals for people who commit suicide". It was like a punch in the gut, causing a sense of shame and belief that I shouldn't be allowed to grieve.

As if that wasn't enough on my plate I now had to work on getting my 15-year-old brother out of jail and back home.  The emotions are building up and I erupt in not the best place to lose control.

This episode will include:

(3:35) Unhelpful things we say 

(5:55) Telling my brother Michael

(11:02) Making final arrangements

(15:25) Welcome to stigma & shame

(19:30) Grief & the family

(24:20) Emotions finally erupt

(28:16) Another crazy event to handle

CONNECT WITH LINDA:

https://linktr.ee/lindafalascolcsw

Facebook: @lindafalascolcsw / Instagram: @lindafalascolcsw / TikTok: @lindafalascolcsw

YouTube: @lindafalascolcsw 

Sign up for the Mending Piece by Piece newsletter at 

lindafalascolcsw.com/signup 

Mending Piece By Piece: A Workbook & Journal for Navigating Grief with Hope

Amazon:

https://a.co/d/bNI8V3I

Barnes & Noble:

https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/mending-piece-by-piece-lcsw-licsw-linda-falasco/1145157190?ean=9798989510405

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/Home
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education: https://save.org/

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains depictions of death and suicide. We understand that some may find these activating and/or disturbing. Please check the show notes for more detailed descriptions and additional resources. If you or someone you love is struggling with thoughts of suicide please call the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988.

We will all experience loss at some point in our life, yet our society is still struggling acknowledge and embrace the grief that comes with it. Whether you experience loss of a job, friendship, pet, relationship or someone you love passes away, you will be left trying to figure out how to move forward and how to manage the grief that comes with the loss. After experiencing traumatic loss you realize you become a different person and the life you once knew has completely been altered. In Mending Piece By Piece's inaguaral episode your host, Linda Falasco, will begin to share her personal story of loss and the day that her life changed forever. 

This episode will include:

(00:00) Intro

(02:11) Why talk about loss & grief

(05:42) What this podcast is about? 

(07:36) My story

(15:15) My first loss/ loss of a friend in a car accident

(18:06) The day that changed me (mention of suicide)

(21:25) Nightmares before 

(27:03) He’s gone Lindy

CONNECT WITH LINDA:

https://linktr.ee/lindafalascolcsw

Facebook: @lindafalascolcsw / Instagram: @lindafalascolcsw / TikTok: @lindafalascolcsw

YouTube: @lindafalascolcsw 

Sign up for the Mending Piece by Piece newsletter at 

lindafalascolcsw.com/signup

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 988
National Alliance on Mental Illness: https://www.nami.org/Home
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education: https://save.org/

9BkP0qnMNybqcxQbqpJT

Welcome to Mending Piece by Piece, a podcast for those who have experienced loss and are navigating their way through the long and often painful journey of healing.

I'm your host, Linda Falasco, this podcast is a  place where we will get real and raw as we dig deep and talk about loss, grief and mourning. 

I’m a therapist with over three decades of professional experience, and nearly a lifetime of personal experience where I have been mending piece by piece from loss. 

When loss strikes, it can completely shatter our world...leaving our old life in fragments and our heart in pieces. While everyone will experience loss to some degree at some point in their lives, we live in a society that still seems to be in the dark about grief and often struggles to embrace the complexities of grief, urging us to “be strong” or to “move on. But what if, piece by piece we shared our personal stories of loss with each other...and learned to mend our broken hearts together?

That’s exactly what Mending Piece by Piece podcast will do. In each episode, we'll tackle the tough questions and raw emotions that come with loss, grief, mourning and trauma. I will start off with my story and the various losses I have experienced. I will get honest and raw as I share my losses and the grief that came with it. I have learned a lot through this journey and have even found gifts in it, which I plan to share with you.

We'll also hear empowering stories from loss survivors, explore feelings like isolation, shock, guilt and anger, as well as other emotions that loss survivors often experience, and learn tangible coping strategies to help us rebuild our lives from the ground up. Good company in a journey makes the way seem shorter – so I invite you to come with me as we embark on this path toward healing, resilience, and strength together.

Make sure you Subscribe to 'Mending Piece by Piece'  on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts, and join me in mending our hearts and our lives, piece by piece