We must at all times remember, that the decision to take your own life is as vast and complex and mysterious as life itself. Al Alvarez, The Savage God

Suicidality as a Crisis of the Self Suicidality is best understood as a crisis of the self: sui in suicide, both victim and perpetrator closer to the lived experience encompasses whole person – physical, mental, relational and spiritual immediately raises important questions that suicidology largely ignores, especially … who or what is this self that is in crisis? Myth: depression is the major cause of suicide

Integral Model - 4 Quadrants Interior Exterior Subjective Objective Intentional (felt experience) Behavioural (observable) IndividualIndividual CollectiveCollective Inter-Subjective Inter-Objective Cultural Social (systems) Psychology/Psychiatry Validity: aesthetic personal meaning/values integrity, sincerity Validity: empirical observable, measurable testable, repeatable Validity: functional fit cohesion, efficiency ecological, economic Validity: moral shared meaning/values ethics, justness Sociology/Ecology Phenomenology Anthropology I We Its It

In theory theres no difference between theory and practice, but in practice, there is. Anonymous

4 Quadrants of Mental Health & Suicide Lived/felt experience personal, private stories, self-talk, dreams hope, purpose, meaning consumer perspective depth psychologies (DBT) Observable behaviour biology (brain) diagnosis/treatment clinical risk assessment behavioural psychologies (CBT) Social infrastructure hospitals, services etc public policies, laws etc workforce, training etc social work media Mutually shared experience shared meaning-making collective story-telling peer support consumer delivered services First-Person (invisible) Third-Person (visible) SingularSingular Plural Plural

Matter Physics Life Mind Soul Spirit Biology Psychology Theology Mysticism The Full Spectrum (Levels) of Consciousness Sources: Plotinus Aurobindo St. Teresa Grof Steiner Baldwin Habermas Maslow Buddhism Yoga Kabbalah Vedanta Theosophy Sufism Non-Dual Spirit

Holistic = All Quadrants, All Levels (AQAL) I - intentional WE - cultural ITS - social IT - behavioural First-Person Third-Person SingularSingular Plural Plural

How holistic is suicidology?

Evidence-Based Suicidology I - intentional WE - cultural ITS - social IT - behavioural First-Person Third-Person SingularSingular Plural Plural

I - intentional WE - cultural ITS - social IT - behavioural First-Person Third-Person SingularSingular Plural Plural Evidence-Based Suicidology

Flatland the great nightmare of scientific materialism was upon us (Whitehead), the nightmare of one- dimensional man (Marcuse), the disqualified universe (Mumford), the colonisation of art and morals by science (Habermas), the disenchantment of the world (Weber) – a nightmare I have also called flatland Ken Wilber, Integral Psychology

Special mention The Aeschi Group Problems In Clinical Practice even in the case of a severe depression, it is not the disorder itself, which initiates the suicidal act, but the "owner" of the depression, the individual itself a striking discrepancy between patients' explanations of suicide attempts and those of examining psychiatrists What's New: A Patient-oriented Approach the patient's experience is conceptualized as the "gold standard the patient's narrative is the basis of a shared understanding 5th Aeschi Conference, 4–7 March, 2009 Suicide attempters: To hospitalize or not to hospitalize? For more:

I - intentional WE - cultural ITS - social IT - behavioural First-Person Third-Person SingularSingular Plural Plural Suicide Prevention It Takes a Village

Do our mental health laws help or hinder suicide prevention? scare people off from seeking help can worsen or trigger suicidality do they save lives or cost lives? o a gruesome calculation – what is an acceptable ratio? primary source of stigma – i.e. discrimination involuntary detention versus involuntary treatment social model of disability – esp. human rights replace Mental Health Act with Suicide Prevention Act a question/challenge for the (LL) village... It Takes A Village To Prevent A Suicide

Ken Wilber Integral Psychology: Consciousness, spirit, psychology, therapy, Shambhala, Boston 2000 Integral Spirituality: A Startling New Role for Religion in the Modern and Postmodern World, Integral Books, Boston 2006 The Integral Vision, Shambhala, Boston 2007 David Webb 'Self, Soul and Spirit: Suicidology's blind spots?' New Paradigm September online at Bridging the Spirituality Gap Australian e-Journal for the Advancement of Mental Health (AeJAMH) Vol 4(1) online at Or contact me:

We must at all times remember, that the decision to take your own life is as vast and complex and mysterious as life itself. Al Alvarez, The Savage God