Grief is a common emotion and can surface with a variety of life circumstances. Grief affects our whole being- our body, our mind, and our spirit. My grief/loss specialty encompasses a variety of loss that can trigger grief, such as:
- Loss of spouse or loved one
- Divorce
- Break-up of relationship
- Experiencing infertility
- Miscarriage
- Job loss
- Moving
- Loss issues around adoption
- Diagnosis of illness
- Experiencing estranged relationships
- Empty nest
- Midlife and aging issues
If you have recently experienced a loss, therapy can provide you a space to express the feelings, thoughts and fears that are connected to your loss and give you new ways of coping and staying attentive to that which is life-giving to you. Unfortunately, if you have received messages to bury your feelings and “move on” with your life, it cuts yourself off from the opportunity to heal naturally when you allow your grief to be fully felt. When you don’t have a supportive environment to mourn, grief can go unattended over months, years, and decades and can be triggered when experiencing a new loss or life stressor. Carried grief can appear as a difficult to name sense of restlessness, discontent and/or irritability.
Signs of Carried Grief
- Difficulty sleeping or disturbing dreams
- Overeating to fill emptiness
- Ease of fatigue
- Difficulty coping
- Using alcohol or other drugs to numb pain
- Repeated illness due to weakened immune system
- Compulsive busyness
Healthy mourning necessitates permission, attention, time, validation, support and acceptance. When you have the opportunity to have a therapist walk along side you during a loss, it can help you identify places that you may be feeling stuck and to identify your strengths and resources to face the loss in a new way. If confronting other complicating factors in your life and unique circumstances surrounding the death or loss, therapy can help you create healing space and unique meaning of your loss around that intensity. Many clients report positive changes as a result of grief counseling, including:
- Increased authentic connection to self and others
- Ability to define what is uniquely life-giving
- More energy and joy
- A healthier lifestyle
- Increased confidence in using coping strategies when facing future loss
- Engagement with other valued relationships
- Improved sleep and ability to participate in pleasurable life activities