Die impak van selfmoord op dié wat agterbly

The impact of suicide on those who are left behind In order to offer pastoral guidance to someone who has lost a loved one to suicide, it is essential to be informed on the un- paralleled impact that suicide has on those who are left behind. Without this knowledge the pastoral intervention can be re- jected or counselling can fail entirely. In this article an attempt is made to firstly discover the nature of suicide and then to establish how many people are touched by suicide. After that the physical and emotional impact on the people who are left behind comes up for discussion. The processing of suicide in relation to its impact as well as its social and spiritual aspects is also investigated. It is important to determine who has been impacted on by the suicide in order to ensure that no one is overlooked during counselling. The trauma has a far-reaching impact on the spiritual lives of those who are left behind and for this reason the spiritual or religious impact of a suicide must be the counsellor’s main focus. Although all the other facets should also be thoroughly attended to, true healing cannot take place if an individual’s inner struggle and spiritual questions are not addressed