In early March, a policeman in Kinmen, Taiwan committed suicide. After the incident, the police station arranged a psychiatrist to do group consultation according to standard procedures. Later, the incident strongly impacted several fellow policemen, especially those who were in the same squad as the suicide victim (including the first person to find the body at the scene). The suicide victim was a Christian, so the chief found a pastor to deal with the situation. Unfortunately, it was too religious, and the morale in the police station became even lower. The chief then sought the help from several other pastors.

It is heartbreaking to hear of such news. The concept of crisis intervention was then introduced through a referral of an intermediary. This situation requires "group crisis intervention" and "individual crisis intervention", and suicide survivors (family, relatives, friends, colleagues, etc. of the suicide victim) are a high-risk group who also need help to deal with the loss. After on-going communicating with the police station, trying to schedule the date for a meeting, the police chief announced that it was over their budget and could not pay for such crisis interventions, implying that Jane needed to volunteer her time and pay for her own plane ticket and accommodation. After more thoughts, she decided to go. But when Jane was about to book a flight, the intermediary informed Jane that the police chief said they didn’t need crisis interventions, since it was never done before.

The intermediary who introduced Jane was shocked and very apologetic. "Crisis intervention is better than multi-talk therapy after a crisis/critical/major event.” (Boscarino, J., Adams, R., & Figley, C. (2011).) Taiwan is still a long way from popularizing such knowledge and understanding.

According to Schneidman's cubic model of suicide, a person will embark on the path of suicide due to build-up in three areas: Pressure (Stress), Pain (Psychache), and Perturbation (5-5-5). Suicide can often be prevented if help can be provided by reducing stress, reducing pain, or reducing extreme anxiety. Among these three aspects, decompression is the quickest to achieve the effect.

In light of this, we should be the first in Asia to introduce "The Secrets of Psychological Body Armor ™ -Survival of the Wisest" for highly stressed individuals by George S. Everly, Jr., PhD of International Crisis Incident Stress Foundation. This neuroscience course is said to save your career, marriage, and life. So, hear what one of the first participants of the course had to say:
When I first saw the course "The Secrets of Psychological Armor" organized by Lifting Hands Network, which was for people who experience a great amount of pressure, I was very interested. I am a person who is very sensitive and easily hurt. Inner scars have eventually caused serious internal damage and friction. To make myself a stronger person, I signed up for this class, which was more fulfilling than I imagined. The course content is divided into several aspects. Some are self-assessment parts, which helped us understand our current situation better. Some situations that we have become accustomed to are actually warning signs. The course guides us to understanding how our brain works, and reasons for negative self-inflicting thinking pattern. I felt that it renewed all aspect of the individual, building a stronger body and mind. From the course, I learned many daily changes, which actually helped me feel calmer. When I feel anxious, it is now easier to detect, and find the reasons for my anxiety and regain peace. Moreover, I am relatively happier every day, and I can appreciate myself more. My friends also feel that I am a gentler person. I highly recommend the "The Secrets of Psychological Armor" course to friends who live under an undue amount of stress, or those who want to know themselves better. If you have the opportunity, please come and experience this course led by Jane Hsu. I know you will benefit greatly from this course.” Lara

Thanksgiving :
1. The epidemic is severe and people are in a state of panic. Jane was invited by two churches to give a Sunday sermon on "No Fear in the Face of the Epidemic" and "No More Depression". When the five-minute bell rang, the congregation said in unison, "It's okay. Please continue.” After the Sunday service, some people were asking where to buy Healing Depression for Life and the workbook.
2. "The Secret of Psychological Armor" was successfully held at the New Life Christian Church Mission in Neihu, Taipei on April 25th. Please read on Lifting Hands Network for some of the students' comments regarding their experience in class. (http://tw.liftinghands.net/spotlight.php?f=83)
3. The "Suicide: Prevention, Intervention & Postvention" Course was successfully held in Taipei from May 9-10. Although some people canceled or postponed due to the rise in Covid or being tested positive, many students attended coming from Kinmen and Hsinchu. The interactions were enthusiastic and participants were most eager to learn.

Prayer Requests:
1. Pray for God to enlighten people’s hearts to see the importance of crisis intervention. Pray for God to open the way for courses such as “Group Crisis Intervention”, “Individual Crisis Intervention”, “Suicide Prevention, Intervention and Postvention” in more counties and cities .
2. Pray that the Lord will make great use of Tear Soup, Experiencing Grief and Where Do I Go from Here to comfort those who have lost their beloved.
3. Pray that the Lord will make great use of Healing Depression for Life and the Workbook to help those who struggle with Anxiety and Depression.
4. Pray that the Lord will make great use of Take Your Life Back and the Workbook to help readers get out of the trauma they have suffered in their family and their past experiences.
5. Pray that the Lord will make great use of For Men Only, For Women Only, and Healing the Hurt in your Marriage to bless Chinese marriages and raise their desire to know God.