AI says you can supress SI

[dust-in-the-wind]

Humans can override their survival instinct due to the brain's "top-down control," where conscious values, emotions, and logic suppress primal fear. People bypass self-preservation for several primary reasons: [1]

• Altruism and Empathy: Deep love or empathy for others (e.g., family or peers) can make protecting them feel more important than personal safety. []
• Beliefs and Ideologies: Strong moral, religious, or political convictions can turn personal sacrifice into a meaningful purpose. []
• Trauma or Mental Health Crises: Conditions like severe depression or past trauma can deaden natural defense mechanisms, causing the brain to misinterpret danger or find the continuation of life unbearable. [1, 2, 3]
• Training and Stress Management: Individuals can train their nervous system to act against the fight-or-flight response, responding instead to duty or procedure. [1]

 

[peacebenow]

Yes, that all makes sense.

 

[ondeathwaitlist]

I was actually reading about this yesterday, and via AI too. But I do believe in the exact moment when you are "cooked" you'd prolly see the SI kick right back in and stronger than ever. About training... maybe yes. Training would inherently remove the fear and maybe just put you at that stage where you care about nothing- much like depression.

 

[Kanoh]

I was actually reading about this yesterday, and via AI too. But I do believe in the exact moment when you are "cooked" you'd prolly see the SI kick right back in and stronger than ever. About training... maybe yes. Training would inherently remove the fear and maybe just put you at that stage where you care about nothing- much like depression.

To actually train you would need exposure - which is continuously forcing yourself to do what you are scared of to gradually reduce the fear, like in cognitive behavioral therapy for OCD. But you can only kill yourself once, you can't do 100 dry runs to get acquainted.

 

[Gustav Hartmann]

Training and stress management is probably what's called drill in the military. It does help, but I don't see how it can be used to solve our problem.

Another point, from my perspective, is this: If I'm in a situation where my death is inevitable and I have absolutely no chance of saving my life, then the survival instinct no longer has any biological function. For example, a person condemned to death is in this situation immediately before their execution. In my experience, people in this situation are surprisingly calm, composed, and even cooperative. However, if you are your own executioner, then your survival instinct always has a chance to prevent you from committing suicide. And in my experience, this instinct becomes all the stronger the closer the time of the planned death approaches.

This was probably one of the reasons why people committed crimes simply to be executed. When they committed the act, the punishment was still far in the future, and the survival instinct was weak. When the time comes, the survival instinct can no longer do anything.

 

[Forever Sleep]

I'm hoping to use logic. I know that life frightens me. I know it makes me suffer. I know the means I have to improve my situation are inadequate. So surely- fear of life, fear of a worsening life- with the onset of old age and likely illness- I'm hoping will be enough to push me through the fear of the unknown.

Plus- there is a person in this life that I'm terrified of. That I feel like I will do anything not to have to see again. Maybe the thought of them will be enough to give me the motivation I need to escape.

I have this hope that choosing a less violent method- to initiate anyway- SN would also be less triggering to our natural reflex response to avoid danger. Can I just kid myself that I'm drinking a regular, but very salty drink? I don't know.

I've done fairly stupid things like dive off of fairly high platforms. Maybe I am capable of just pushing through rational fear. I really hope so.

 

[Another Iteration]

Be careful with the word "suppress."

This forum, as I understand it, was founded on principles of freedom of expression. Suppression is antithetical to that core pillar. The messaging is useful only insofar as the reader is responsive to the symbols used.

I can hear the anger in some users as they are told that they should use technology to suppress their suicidal ideation. Time and Time again we encounter the brutal truth that suicide, sometimes, is the answer. At the tiniest level the cells of our own body will undergo apoptosis when they recognize their function outlives their necessity. As above, so below, so why should we expect the macro to be any different? Only when we have the space and freedom to take matters into our own hands--with compassion as a top priority--do we receive the chance to rest in blissful awareness where truly skillful, democratic decisions can be made.

Best of luck, friend. I am here for you.