Any approach to suicide prevention necessarily entails much consideration regarding life appreciation. That should go without saying, as it represents the perfect start, but it is certainly not the end. One must understand suicidal inclinations at their lightest and their deepest strengths. Lack of such understanding hinders all efforts at amelioration, whether self-applied or gifted from other human souls. Vernon Mullins’ conscientious, comprehensive, and inclusive book, The Essential Guide To Suicide Prevention, enumerates the wide-ranging and intensive aspects involved in suicidal inclinations and prevention. As such, it is a beautiful gift.

The author offers a host of compelling suggestions for confronting suicidal impulses, weak or strong, self-experienced or encountered in another. As he elucidates the causes for this ultimate life-threatening arousal and the possibilities for coping with it, Mullins’ writing is clear, direct, and downright beautiful. Consider one short sample regarding one of many facets of suicide prevention.

“Imagine holding a glass of water filled to the brim. The world around you blurs as you focus solely on not spilling it. This singular focus, in essence, mirrors the practice of mindfulness … It’s about weaving moments of awareness into the fabric of your day.”

With wisdom such as that, beautifully expressed as that, this fundamental resource is as timely as it gets. While this gifted author fully meets his task of maximizing one’s innate aspiration for life appreciation, he conscientiously grounds this work with a steadfast refusal to ignore suicidal reality. Only when we face our fears directly can we move through them. Sometimes, we need an essential guide.