119. Anonymous' Story: Two Ways Out: Breaking the Silence Around Suicide119. Anonymous' Story: Two Ways Out: Breaking the Silence Around Suicide
Together S.O.B.E.R.
An anonymous guest shares her journey through childhood suicide loss, PTSD and panic disorder, and how writing her memoir became part of staying alive. The conversation focuses on breaking silence around suicide, building practical support, and helping others tell their own difficult stories.
1:01:46•27 Apr 2026
Two Ways Out: PTSD, Panic, Suicide Loss and the Power of Telling the Truth
Episode Overview
- Silencing suicide and mental illness in families can deepen trauma and delay vital support.
- PTSD and panic disorder may show up as extreme physical symptoms long before they’re recognised as mental health conditions.
- Finding a therapist who truly listens and feels safe is crucial, and it’s okay to reject poor fits.
- Ongoing tools such as medication, movement, nutrition, boundaries and honest support networks help keep symptoms manageable.
- Writing about trauma can trigger strong reactions, but sharing the story can also create connection and reduce shame for others.
“To me, there's only one way out. And that's going through it.”
What emotional and inspiring tales of recovery are out there? This conversation on Together S.O.B.E.R. takes you straight into one woman's lived reality of trauma, suicide loss and rebuilding a life that feels worth staying for. Hosted by Louise Barnett, the chat centres on an anonymous guest, founder of My Truth Memoir Writing Services and author of *Two Ways Out: A Memoir of Then and Now*.
She talks through growing up in a family home that doubled as a residence for 21 men with mental disabilities, watching her mother sink into untreated depression, and hearing the chilling line, “There’s only two ways out of this… it’s either I leave or it’s death.” Months later, her mum died by suicide, a loss the family refused to talk about.
From there, you’ll hear how silent grief, an emotionally chaotic marriage and constant caretaking led to undiagnosed PTSD and panic disorder. She describes a full-body “nervous system meltdown” in the car, months of being unable to function, and the fear she’d follow her mother’s path. Her eventual diagnosis – PTSD and panic disorder, not depression – became a turning point rather than a life sentence. The episode is raw but grounded in practical hope.
She shares how therapy, medication, strict boundaries, learning to say no, and a non-negotiable support system keep her steady today. Writing her memoir reignited nightmares but also gave shape and meaning to her story, and now she holds space for others doing the same through memoir coaching. If you’re living with trauma, mental illness, addiction, or supporting someone who is, you’ll recognise the chaos, the guilt, and the relief of having language for what’s going on.
It may leave you asking: what would it look like to write – or finally tell – your own truth?
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