Hello Advocates of Mental Health!!!

Today marks an important milestone, your copy of Reprieve has been shipped! From the very beginning, you believed in a mission to create greater understanding around hopelessness, suicide prevention, and the psychology of recovery. Because of your trust and generosity, this book is no longer just an idea, it is now making its way into your hands.

Thank you for standing with us and helping bring this project to life. We hope Reprieve becomes more than a book, that it becomes a conversation starter, a source of understanding, and, for many, a reminder that hope can be rediscovered.

As this journey comes to a close, another is just beginning. We are delighted to invite you to our next literary project, Echoes of Silence: From the Spaces Between Thoughts; a contemplative collection of poetry, poetic narratives, and reflective artwork exploring identity, purpose, resilience, and the quiet spaces where wisdom often begins.

If you enjoyed being part of Reprieve, we would be honored to have you join us again. Follow the pre-launch here and be among the first to receive updates when the campaign goes live: https://www.backerkit.com/c/projects/dgl-solutions-llc/echoes-of-silence-from-the-spaces-between-thoughts/pre-launch?stay=true

From everyone at DGL Publishing Imprint, thank you for believing in our work. This is only the beginning, and we look forward to sharing many more meaningful stories with you.

With heartfelt gratitude,

DGL Team!

As we close in the final hours of this campaign, I find myself reflecting not on the numbers, but on the people behind them. Every pledge, every share, every encouraging message, every poll response, and every conversation reminded me that Reprieve was never just about publishing a book. It has always been about bringing light to conversations that too often remain hidden in silence.

Many of you joined this journey because you have lived through darkness yourself. Others came because someone you love has struggled. Many simply believe that no one should have to fight their darkest moments alone.

To each of you, thank you.

You have done more than support an author. You have helped build a resource that I sincerely hope will educate, challenge stigma, encourage difficult conversations, and perhaps, one day, help someone find one more reason to stay. Whether Reprieve reaches one reader or one hundred thousand, your names will forever be part of where this journey began.

If you've been following the campaign but haven't yet become a backer, there is still time. We'd be honored to welcome you before the campaign closes. Together, we can place this book into the hands of people who may need it most.

Thank you for believing in this mission. Thank you for believing that understanding can save lives, and thank you for choosing to be part of Reprieve.

One result from our recent poll stopped me in my tracks.

When asked whether suicidal thoughts, hopelessness, or emotional silence had personally touched their lives, 80% of respondents answered, "Yes, personally." Of course, this was a small sample of just ten people. It is not a scientific study, nor should it be interpreted as one. Yet it reflects something that larger research has been telling us for years.

In one of the largest international studies ever conducted on suicidal thoughts, researchers analyzed data from 84,850 people across 17 countries and found that approximately 9.2% of people, about 1 in 11, report experiencing suicidal thoughts during their lifetime (Source: The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2008).  Other studies suggest the true number may be even higher depending on how questions are asked and how willing people feel to disclose such experiences. 

As a psychologist, however, the number that concerns me most is not how many people experience these thoughts. It is how many experience them in silence. Many people never fully disclose their struggles because of shame, stigma, fear of judgment, or the belief that nobody will understand. They continue working, smiling, and showing up for life while privately carrying burdens that others cannot see.

If you have ever found yourself in that place, I want to leave you with a simple reminder:

Thoughts are experiences. They are not destinies.

The fact that you are still here means there is a part of you that has continued to resist, even when life felt impossibly heavy. That part deserves compassion. It deserves support. And it deserves to be heard.

Thank you to everyone who participated in the poll. Your honesty reinforces why Reprieve matters and why conversations like these remain so important.

By A. Lavie