Ep. 310 It’s OK to Talk About Suicide: Finding Safety and Hope Amidst Pain with Kevin Hines

08/02/21 • 50 min

Learn how Kevin Hines survived jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge to become a global speaker on suicide, mental illness, and finding hope in life.

My guest Kevin Hines is a storyteller, best-selling author, global public speaker, and award-winning documentary filmmaker. In the year 2000 Kevin attempted suicide by jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge and miraculously survived the injuries from his fall. He has dedicated his life to telling his story and helping others survive pain with true resilience. He is the author of Cracked Not Broken: Surviving and Thriving After a Suicide Attempt and co-author of The 3rd Rail: [In My Mania I Became]. He has also produced a documentary called Suicide: The Ripple Effect. Learn more about his work at his website:

www.kevinhinesstory.com

Listen here:

This episode includes:

Kevin’s story
Why suicide is a taboo subject in our society
Why it’s important to talk about suicide
Overcoming our fears of discussing suicide
What to say to someone who might be contemplating suicide
Information about the Crisis Text Line
The NotOK App – a digital panic button
Tips for coping with the guilt that follows the suicide death of a loved one

Links mentioned in this episode:

Kevin’s Book: Cracked Not Broken
Book co-written by Kevin and Jesse Cohen: The 3rd Rail: [In My Mania I Became]
Documentary: Suicide – The Ripple Effect
Kevin’s YouTube Channel
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK
Crisis Text Line: Text CNQR to 741741
NotOK App
Sign up for the 2021 online reading group A Year of Reading Dangerously at this link
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound:7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my newest supporter Richard Widmark Jr.! Your contributions make all the difference!

Learn how Kevin Hines survived jumping off the Golden Gate Bridge to become a global speaker on suicide, mental illness, and finding hope in life.

www.kevinhinesstory.com

Listen here:

This episode includes:

Kevin’s story
Why suicide is a taboo subject in our society
Why it’s important to talk about suicide
Overcoming our fears of discussing suicide
What to say to someone who might be contemplating suicide
Information about the Crisis Text Line
The NotOK App – a digital panic button
Tips for coping with the guilt that follows the suicide death of a loved one

Links mentioned in this episode:

Kevin’s Book: Cracked Not Broken
Book co-written by Kevin and Jesse Cohen: The 3rd Rail: [In My Mania I Became]
Documentary: Suicide – The Ripple Effect
Kevin’s YouTube Channel
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 1-800-273-TALK
Crisis Text Line: Text CNQR to 741741
NotOK App
Sign up for the 2021 online reading group A Year of Reading Dangerously at this link
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound:7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

Previous Episode

Ep. 309 A Neurosurgeon’s Lessons on Love, Loss, and Compassion with Joseph Stern MD

Learn how his sister’s illness and death made this neurosurgeon a better doctor.

My guest Dr. Joseph Stern is a partner in the country’s largest neurosurgical group practice in Greensboro, North Carolina. While he has frequently worked with patients and families facing life-limiting illness, his experiences at the bedside of his sister during her nearly one-year ordeal with leukemia, changed everything for him. He shares how his own medical practice was affected by what he learned about the patient’s perspective on end-of-life care and how he envisions our medical system needs to shift in order to improve the care being offered to all patients. He is the author of Grief Connects Us: A Neurosurgeon’s Lessons on Love, Loss, and Compassion. Learn more about his work at his website:

www.JosephSternMD.com

Get the book here.

Listen here:

This episode includes:

The shock Dr. Stern experienced when viewing medical care through the eyes of a terminal patient
Why he wished his sister’s doctors had discussed her terminal prognosis with her
How to balance hope with reality when facing terminal illness
The additional lessons
he learned as healthcare proxy for his brother-in-law who suffered a brain aneurysm
The definition of “emotional agility” and why it should be taught to all medical students
How to improve empathy and communication skills for medical providers
Why palliative care should be started much earlier for all patients facing potential life-limiting illness
How Dr. Stern has changed his own approach to patients in light of what he has learned
How empathy and compassion can actually prevent burnout for medical providers rather than cause it

Links mentioned in this episode:

Dr. Stern’s book: Grief Connects Us
Dr. Stern’s Booksigning Event
My new podcast What Really Matters
Sign up for the 2021 online reading group A Year of Reading Dangerously at this link
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound:7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu! Your contributions make all the difference!

Next Episode

Ep. 311 The Conundrum of “Hope” at the End-of-Life

Learn why hope is a powerful tool that can be harmful or helpful at the end of life.

In this solo episode I share some thoughts, concerns, studies, quotes and clips on hope and why it isn’t always a good thing at the end of life. From doctors who refuse to refer patients to hospice and palliative care because they don’t want to take away their hope, to patients who cling to false hopes and resist planning for the end of life, I’ve long been concerned that we are using hope in a toxic way in our medical system. It’s time to look at a better way to help patients find meaning and positive experiences at the end of life than just handing them empty hope.

Listen here:

This episode includes:

How hope can be harmful for some people as they approach the end of life
Study showing the unrealistic expectations of terminal patients for how long they thought they had to live
The consequences of unrealistic hope for individual patients and the medical system
How some medical providers use hope as a tool without recognizing the harm it can cause to patients
How unrealistic hope can prevent patients from focusing on the present moment
Study showing that hope has a spectrum from “miracle cure” to “peaceful death”
Most patients want gentle honesty from their doctors but doctors often don’t recognize that
How to “dance with death” (per Stephen Jenkinson) rather than fighting against death
Why hope can be a superficial disguise for the fear of death
How to help people move beyond unrealistic hope to greater acceptance of death

Links mentioned in this episode:

Episode 309: Interview with Dr. Jody Stern
Episode 150: Interview with Stephen Jenkinson
Blog: Hope is Hazardous by Richard Smith
Webpage: Hope as a Strategy
Study on Fostering Coping and Nurturing Hope
Sign up for the 2021 online reading group A Year of Reading Dangerously at this link
Support your local bookstore by buying my books on Bookshop and Indiebound:7 Lessons for Living from the Dying and The Journey from Ego to Soul
Subscribe to this podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify, iHeart Radio, Stitcher Radio
Check out the Series I’ve recorded in the past here
Join the team at Patreon.com/eolu and get access to the EOLU mug: “Mind if we talk about death?” (only Patrons can purchase it). PLUS get our new bonuses: the monthly EOL News Update, movie reviews from 2 Doctors and a Movie, and automatic access to A Year of Reading Dangerously!

If you enjoy this content please share it with others and consider leaving a review on iTunes! Thanks again to all supporters on my page at Patreon.com/eolu, especially my supporter John Kuntz for increasing your monthly pledge! Your contributions make all the difference!