What Happens When Mental Crisis Is Turned for Good
When I was in the midst of suicidal caregiving for my husband, I asked the Lord to redeem our story. I whispered that quiet prayer and plea of redemption of our story with tears and a small seed of hope. I knew our story wasn’t just for us. I also knew God was able to bring redemption if He chose to.
I didn’t know how long it would take, when redemption would come, or if it would be on this side of heaven, but I knew God redeems, restores, and repairs brokenness. I knew He could.
He is Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals. Jehovah Rapha is one of many Hebrew names of God displaying His character.
He is also the God who hears and turns His ear towards us. During our almost two years of mental crisis, I saw God move mightily and answer very specific prayers of protection over life. My prayer life grew significantly as I held fast to my faith to persevere.
Continual mental crisis caregiving took a significant toll on me, though. Caregiver burden is what it’s called. Caregivers have unseen and seen responsibilities, all with weightiness. I was always “on,” supporting and being aware for increased suicidal risk or symptoms for my husband. Constant caregiving negatively impacts the caregiver. I developed PTSD from specific traumatic events— one being a medical emergency, saving the life of my husband.
In the midst of caregiving, the road ahead was long. The end was unknown. But God knew the way forward and He led me, led us, bit by bit toward healing.
Entering Mental Crisis
So, how did suicidal caregiving and mental health struggles begin? Well, it wasn’t always our story, but when traumatic events in one’s life are not dealt with, symptoms can worsen.
My husband didn’t know he had combat trauma or PTSD from the IED explosion that killed his buddy, but many years later it tormented him through nightmares. Additional mental health conditions ensued as well as suicidal thoughts, then plan, and attempt. All the while I was fighting for his life, fighting a battle against suicide. Fighting to find crucial treatment needed to help him get better before we lost him.
The Pursuit of Healing
The pursuit of healing was arduous and didn’t happen overnight. The therapy I researched showed promising results for veterans in research studies, but at the time, it was difficult to find. It took over six months to find a mental health therapist knowledgeable in combat trauma and EMDR therapy (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing). Imagine with me the constant day in and day out (nights too) struggle and fight for life, the hyper-vigilance, the prayers of protection, and the inability to find someone trained in the treatment needed for healing.
The cognitive therapies implemented for almost a year worsened my husband’s PTSD and suicidal symptoms. When he finally started EMDR sessions with a therapist knowledgeable in combat trauma, just a few sessions drastically improved his symptoms. It was a grateful moment bringing renewed hope after a difficult journey.
A Promising Treatment: EMDR Therapy Plus Faith
For my traumas, I went through EMDR therapy, and it was life-giving. I was able to incorporate my faith into my sessions which was powerful for healing. My husband did additional EMDR therapy also after a mental crisis relapse with improved results. EMDR therapy processes stuck trauma and re-integrates it for us to become more healed.
I am grateful—grateful for all that I have learned and grateful I am now able to speak into others’ painful stories similar to ours, bringing hope and truth from an integrated faith and neuroscience perspective. To bring God’s hope and promises alongside research-backed powerful treatments is a beautiful pairing.
Gratitude and Redemption
As I said before, I knew our story wasn’t for us, and I prayed and asked God to redeem our story.
Additional years with different battles and brokenness in our life ensued. The Lord finally opened the doors and led me to write a book for the person I was in the middle of crisis. That quiet prayer of redemption is currently coming to fruition. My book will be published in the next few months for the caregiver of suicidality after trauma to help them in the midst of their battle. It’s from a faith and neuroscience perspective and helps them know they are not alone in their battle.
I am truly grateful I have the honor to speak into other people’s stories of mental crisis now. Because of what God brought us through, I experientially know the deep pain, loneliness, sense of urgency, and desperate helplessness often present when caring for a loved one struggling with suicidality. I can speak into this experience because I’ve walked through it. God is redeeming our story for His glory through my book and message.
I am thankful to now come alongside those who are struggling with mental health burdens and offer a hand of hope and friendship. Remember—you are not alone in your battle.
Meet Amber J. Parker
Amber J. Parker is a writer, speaker, Physician Assistant, mom of four, wife, and a suicidality and trauma caregiver/advocate. She is the author (2025) of The Forgotten Caregiver of Mental Crisis, written for the primary caregiver of suicidality and trauma to have increased hope and resilience as they fight for their loved one’s life. This book comes out of her and her veteran husband’s story.
Amber is the founder & owner of Choose Joy In the Midst LLC, which integrates faith and neuroscience to empower others in their battles. She shares mental health and Biblical insights through her blog choosejoyinthemidst.com, speaking engagements, and as a podcast guest. Her shop, Beautifultruthdesign.com, offers truth-infused merchandise with words that resonate.
Where to find her . . .
Begin Within is a series to inspire a year-round lifestyle of gratitude that will impact not only your own life, but the lives of your neighbors as well. Gratitude is a theme we talk about often around here because it ties so closely into other missional living rhythms. Practicing gratitude reminds to keep our hearts soft and expectant and our eyes open. Therefore, the more we embrace gratitude, the easier it becomes to truly see our neighbors and where we can join what God is already doing in our neighborhoods.
If you would like to contribute to Begin Within, you can find the submission guidelines here.
