Helps the reader to understand the suicidal mind from a phenomenological point of view
Promotes an approach to suicide prevention that stresses the role of empathy
Highlights the insights offered by neuroimaging studies and the role of mirror neurons in social cognition
Examines the feelings of clinicans when confronted with potentially suicidal patients

This book will help the reader to understand the suicidal mind from a phenomenological point of view, shedding light on the feelings of suicidal individuals and also those of clinicians. In accordance with the importance that the phenomenological approach attaches to subjectivity and sense of self as the starting points for knowledge, emphasis is placed on the need for the clinician to focus on the subjective experiences of the at-risk individual, to set aside prior assumptions, judgments, or interpretations, and to identify ways of bridging gaps in communication associated with negative emotions. The vital importance of empathy is stressed, drawing attention to the insights offered by neuroimaging studies and the role of mirror neurons in social cognition.

It is widely acknowledged that when a clinician meets a person who wants to die by suicide, the clinician does not fully understand what is going on inside the mind of that individual. This book recognizes that any approach to suicide prevention must promote understanding of suicidal thoughts and feelings. The awareness that it fosters and the innovative perspectives that it presents will appeal to a wide readership

Table of contents (13 chapters)
Historical Phenomenology: Understanding Experiences of Suicide and Suicidality Across Time
Marsh, Ian
Pages 1-12
Reflections of a Committed Suicidologist
Pompili, Maurizio
Pages 13-30
A Phenomenological Approach to Suicidal Mental Life
Schlimme, Jann E.
Pages 31-37
Early-Life Adversity and Suicide Risk: The Role of Epigenetics
Turecki, Gustavo
Pages 39-49
Terror and Horror: Feelings, Intersubjectivity and Understanding at the Edges' in an Interview on a Suicide Attempt
Boden, Zoë V. R.
Pages 51-71
Empathy and Empathic Disconnection in Difficult and Uneasy Situations: Facing the Suicidal Individual
Donelli, Davide (et al.)
Pages 73-112
Suicide and Deliberate Self-Harm: When Attachments Fail
Holmes, Jeremy
Pages 113-129
Emotional Dysregulation and Suicide Risk: If You'll Leave Me, I'll Kill Myself!
Velotti, Patrizia (et al.)
Pages 131-145
Traumatic Subjective Experiences Invite Suicide
Maltsberger, John T. (et al.)
Pages 147-165
Dissociation and Therapeutic Alliance
Firestone, Lisa
Pages 167-186
A Collaborative Approach to Working with the Suicidal Mind
Jobes, David A. (et al.)
Pages 187-201
The Story of My Suicide
Staudt, Viktor
Pages 203-207
Anodyne Psychotherapy for Suicide: A Psychological View of Suicide
Shneidman, Edwin S.
Pages 209-217