Jon’s suicide put this new psychotherapist on a mission–to find out what she had obviously missed that took her good, incredible son to suicide.  By first digging for the truth of Jon’s life, she eventually generated over ninety stories that he might have ended by saying, “and then I killed myself.”   Then, by sequencing these compelling stories into developmental stages as defined by the late Dr. Erik Erikson’s analysis, Sally could better understand her son’s internal experience as to how one after another, like dominos, they toppled him into suicide. As Erikson’s universal model clarified Jon’s internal spiral down to suicide, this model, with its derivative insights, are equally applicable to everyone alive now to be able to more knowledgeably shepherd our children, one another and ourselves forward on our path to continue growth, maturation, resilience, fulfillment and even triumph.

This book can give parents and readers everywhere new, more conscious tools for helping kids navigate the sometime rough currents of life. In this way, Jon’s life is not over. He remains a teacher, not a tragedy. Similarly, Erikson’s life and insights also live on, making what was formerly invisible and unconscious conscious in ways that can benefit every child born—forever. Understanding this model applied individually in retrospect highlight what we may have missed at particular stages of development to help one and all identify, have compassion for and be empowered to heal early losses and be released to freer, more energized whole life, joy, possibilities and fulfillment.