Meditation: a promising approach to suicide prevention ?

Journal of Psychiatry Reform vol 12 #14, November 18, 2025

Caroline Giroux, MD, FRCPC

Author information:

Professor of Psychiatry, Psychiatrist, Director of RESTART (Resilience, Education, Supportive Tools for Adults Recovering from Trauma), University of California, Davis Medical Center, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Sacramento, California, USA. [email protected]

There are no conflicts of interest. AI was not used in the production of this article.

Last month, a young professor of psychiatry at an academic institution just a few hours away from mine died by suicide. Based on his professional webpage, the compelling announcement by his spouse, and a social media description of the person he was, on the surface, he seemed to have it all: love, family, a successful career with many innovations and publications, even physical beauty, based on truly harmonious features. I can see this causing a wave of shock just like after famous people or beloved actors did the same throughout history. Comments such as “I would have never guessed” or “I didn’t see this coming” abound. In tragic losses such as this one, we try to process them, we think about them for a while, but sooner or later, unless directly affected (like family members who find their spouses after the fact), as professionals or people, we recite the socially appropriate script and, unfortunately, shortly after, tend to go back to business as usual. Nothing deeply changed in our approach, our belief system, our consciousness. Maybe it is time to examine this tendency and step out of this stage of dissociation, indifference, or denial. 

The majority of us have been affected (or know someone who has) by suicide. The direct and indirect victims are relatives, friends, colleagues, patients, and our patients’ relatives.  Given the nature of our work, the odds are high we will be confronted with such a loss. Every time, it generates an overwhelming shock. And a really unbearable sense of helplessness. Maybe we should pay more attention to the latter, because maybe it also burdened many suicide victims. We should attempt to decode suicide and transcend it. For instance, I am wondering what this phenomenon could teach us about human suffering and even collective consciousness (in an existential or spiritual -more than neurological- sense). As we know, suicide doesn’t discriminate. It happens in prison cells or palaces. It happens not only across DSM clinical entities but even medical specialties. And it keeps happening to our own kind, the healers. That continues to disturb me greatly, because how can we pretend to be equipped to prevent suicide in the general population ? And if the sense of helplessness we feel upon being confronted with suicide echoes the helplessness in the deceased, wouldn’t it be wise to pause, decipher and process our own ? To mentalize, understand the impact of adversity and ultimately prevent suicide ? 

Achieving collective peace starts with seeking our own inner peace. And finding peace cannot happen without the study of the self. It takes practice, discipline, through mindful living or total awareness, acceptance, self-reflection, inspirational reading paired with insightful journaling, and general inner work. Meditation is a great portal to all of that. In fact, meditation and suicide seem antithetical. Since it is well known that regular practice of meditation can help improve emotional self-regulation, lower blood pressure and recalibrate stress response systems by reducing autonomic hyperactivity, and if we conceptualize suicide as an extreme flight or freeze reaction, wouldn’t it be logical to assume that meditation could protect and reduce suicide risk in those who practice it regularly ? It turns out that literature supports this. Mindfulness, the foundational dimension of meditation practice or techniques, is conceptualized as paying total attention to the present moment in an intentional (curious, non-judgmental, and non-reactive) manner. A meta-analysis has come to the conclusion that mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) led to clinically significant reductions in suicidal ideation and depression [1]. Moreover, a review article mentions that it has been demonstrated that MBI is a feasible and effective treatment for reducing suicide risk, and mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) in particular, when used with individuals with mood related disorders [2]. 

Understanding protective mechanisms is necessary. Similarly, the suicide phenomenon should be deconstructed. The fact that it doesn’t discriminate means it could affect any of us. In fact, it affects ALL of us, because we are interconnected. In a sense, even though we can rarely blame a specific person or entity (except for AI and whoever or whatever is behind this double-edged sword, as some recent tragic cases of suicide in our youth revealed), as a part of humanity, we have a collective responsibility. When we fail to acknowledge, see or fully grasp the complexities of human suffering, it keeps happening, until we get the lesson… What we do not recognize or admit cannot be understood nor stopped, therefore it keeps occurring. Those directly haunted by suicidal thoughts can be our best teachers. They can enlighten us about human consciousness, or about what happens when we are becoming disconnected from it.  

A Course in Miracles, a text that, at first glance, appears religious in nature, contains profound truths about the mechanisms of suicide [3]. Suicide seems to be the triumph of the ego (in this article, I will predominantly refer to the ego not in the psychoanalytical sense, but in the spiritual sense, as deconstructed in A Course in Miracles). Ego, a fabrication of our minds, and an illusion itself, leads to illusions about the Self. It is an “attempt by the false spirit to perceive yourself as you would like to be rather than who you really are” [3]. At the root of fear and conflict, it seeks separation, destruction and death. Therefore, one would think that freeing oneself from the ego is a protective factor against suicide. And meditation helps letting go of the ego and all that it implies: specific labels, opinions, beliefs, thoughts, and identification with the limited storyline about our individuality. 

We also need a paradigm shift regarding thoughts. Thoughts are not our own. In a book on near-death experiencers, the author, a physician, writes that we do not create our thoughts, we are simply intercepting them since we are receptors. Basically, our brain functions as a filter [4]. What if the minds of people prone to suicidal ideation or attempts have a highly sensitive brain wiring, and porous boundaries to the point that their own portion of consciousness is very connected to the whole consciousness and more susceptible to receive the distress of the world ? And being fragilized by a significant empathy fatigue (in the case of physicians, for instance), maybe that makes those people even more at risk of being caught in the ego’s vicious and destructive discourse of never being enough ? 

As psychiatrists, when we analyze biographical movies or books about people who decided to end it by suicide, in many cases we can imagine that shame was a major trigger. Two former patients of mine during residency come to mind. But in cases where people seemed to have it all, like certain physicians with intact family, a loving spouse, a successful career, shame might be harder to find or even imagine. What if it is simply about them feeling like this persona, as good and noble as it seems, is too remote from who they really are and strive to be, what if it is a shame toward their own self because they think they live a lie… Or they might feel stuck in a role that is socially rewarded while their true nature remains unseen and while their shame isn’t heard or accepted, resulting on their personal dreams or aspirations being condemned to oblivion. Or what if this life that seems so perfect and fulfilling was in fact a red flag that the person tried desperately to fill a black hole with accomplishments ? Their objective worth not effectively compensating for their subjective and distorted sense of lack of self-worth ? What if their external blooming in the world of form witnessed by their surroundings was proportionate to the invisible suffering ? To make it worse, what if the accolades and awards didn’t provide the eternal fulfillment they were hoping for, with the recognition anchoring them even deeper in the swamp of the imposteur syndrome ? 

Maybe a comforting reminder would be that we are instruments, vehicles of life forces and energies. Not the artisan or maker of accomplishments. Therefore, we would remain attuned to the deep whispers of the soul that are an echo of the collective consciousness. We would lead a life from the inside out as opposed to the outside in. We would have gratitude for the gifts and inspiration bestowed upon us, while not feeling suffocated by a pressure to perform or maintain an impeccable image. We would not get so attached to a specific outcome or scenario about how life should be. We would not insist that things be a certain way, because it is just the world of form and we control so little in this life. When things don’t turn out the way we had hoped for or planned, we could simply remind ourselves to stay curious and receptive to what work we are the instrument of (and the mindfulness practice rewires our whole being in that sense). We would stay connected to our human essence (inner knowing or wisdom, peace, joy, gratitude, compassion) that is always present. 

Recommendations 

As long as there is a disconnect between what we do and what we believe, as long as there is identification with the ego and its derivative -the unprocessed shame-, we can expect suicide. 

So we need to identify, among those who attempted but didn’t die, what were the factors of suicidality (and not so much the peripheral precipitants that belong to the world of form, but more the underlying mechanisms and common denominators, such as lack of freedom, imposteur syndrome, shame, feeling stuck or spiritually starved or empty) and conduct studies that emphasize the protective factors more than the risk factors, some of which we cannot do anything about (such as childhood trauma, and some unmodifiable characteristics like gender). It is about expanding the positive in the hope that it will override the negative. Also, it would be interesting to understand the exact mechanisms of those protective forces. For instance, being religious or spiritual. Is it about nurturing a sense of interconnectedness, or bigger purpose that helps transcend suffering, rather than scripted prayers without really feeling connected to the divine ? Is it the meditation component, including stress reduction brought about by mindfulness practices ? Can we conclude that a spiritual drought is at the root of most suicides ? Or is morbid thinking due to a deep disconnection from spiritual values such as peace, gratitude, altruism, or a departure from true spirituality-promoting lifestyle?
 

Having more open discussions and a transdisciplinary design of research seems important. It is not just the psychiatrist’s or psychologist’s job to correct this, it is the whole of humanity’s. Of course, there should also be grand rounds presentations or faculty development on this topic. I think some additional academic activities could not only be a constructive way to generate insights that could make our human consciousness evolve (and make us even more attuned and effective healers) but be a meaningful way to honor all our deceased’s memory.  

And just like anti-war methods fail to end war, we need to move away from a fight against to a working towards or for, or promoting paradigm. Not seeking “anti-suicide” strategies but “pro-joy”, “pro-authenticity” or “pro-inner peace” living. Because underneath the surface of apparent triggering factors such as grief, professional burnout etc, there are deep emotional experiences (such as aloneness, loss of freedom) that could be at the root of suicide and that we should aim to address. Through cultivated stillness and silence, meditation helps us befriend those experiences and access quietness and calmness. Meditation helps transcend the self after connecting with our own direct experience, and as we do so, whether through individual or collective practice, we connect with humankind. And this is also antithetical to suicide, since suicide is an extreme form of separateness, an irreversible escape. However, meditation isn’t likely to be an effective cure in the midst of a suicidal crisis for someone who has not practiced it before. The greatest benefits of meditation will be found because there has been regular access to the inner silence and stillness prior to being confronted with morbid thoughts. In clinical settings, it is therefore recommended to encourage the patient to start developing their practice in neutral situations instead of waiting for a highly anxiety-provoking situation to start experimenting with techniques fostering mindfulness. 

Integrating a routine of bookend meditation practices (at the beginning and at the end of a workday), mid-shift mindfulness exercises and even including these experiences in data collections of existing wellbeing surveys might prove worthwhile. Doctors are not good at self-prioritizing. There are 400 physician suicides per year in the United States, and many more around the world [5]. But we can shift the culture; suicide doesn’t have to be an occupational hazard. It is a preventable outcome. 

Conclusion 

There are available and recent studies that show a correlation between meditation through mindfulness-based interventions and reduction in mood symptoms, even suicide risk. 

Until we get to the bottom of the devastating phenomenon of suicide, as we incorporate the evidence-based practice of mindfulness meditation in our systems of care while conducting more research, as we become both regular practitioners and dedicated prescribers of meditation, we should ensure that we do all that is in our power to make any sufferer feel heard to free them from shame by enveloping them with acceptance and compassion. This could not only restore a person’s sense of dignity and help alleviate their sense of helplessness, but our own. 

References: 

1. Schmelefske E, Per M, Khoury B, Heath N. The effects of mindfulness-based interventions on suicide outcomes: A meta-analysis. Archives of suicide research. 2022 Apr 3;26(2):447-64. 
2. de Aguiar KR, Bilhalva JB, Cabelleira MD, Guimarães GO, Madureira T, Agako A, de Souza MS, Souza LD. The impact of mindfulness on suicidal behavior: a systematic review. Trends in psychiatry and psychotherapy. 2022 May 6;44:e20210316. 
3. Foundation for Inner Peace, editor. A course in miracles: Combined volume. Foundation for Inner Peace; 2007.  
4. Theillier P. Expériences de mort imminente: Un signe du ciel qui nous ouvre à la vie invisible. Artège Editions; 2015 Oct 1. 
5. Yellowlees P. Physician suicide: cases and commentaries. American Psychiatric Pub; 2018 Jun 25.