"People are experiencing what we call the dark night of the soul. A profound emptiness that is one of the most bitter feelings to endure. Imagine the ordeal arising from the death of a loved one or a diagnosis of terminal illness."

It is enough to make him pause. He straightens his back and stiffens his posture, shifting weight off his thighs. Unable to massage his temples in polite company, he massages his thumbs.

"Events like these force one's mind to either endure annihilation or reinvent itself.

"With events like these, one's mind must endure annihilation or reinvent itself. I have worked with enough people to know many who need support find it in self-medication. Still, I will do what I can."