My friends and clients often share stories with me about signs from deceased loved ones. And then they ask, “Are they real?” I don’t pretend to know what happens to our loved ones when they die. But I do know that those of us left behind take great comfort in maintaining the connection with the
Grief and addiction have a very complex relationship, and quite often the two are very closely intertwined. For people suffering from grief, substance abuse becomes a way of numbing the pain. For someone already suffering from substance abuse disorder, grief can actually be a wakeup call of sorts. Nobody seeks to experience grief or wishes
Self-compassion as self-care for grief is the practice of making skillful choices that will reduce suffering and improve the quality of your life. It goes beyond creating healthy habits, such as exercise, a balanced diet, drinking plenty of water and getting the right amount of sleep – though these can all help with grief.Self-compassion as
Finding a Place of Comfort to Grieve This article explores the use of dramatherapy practice and mindfulness for the grief process. What is Dramatherapy? I will use Dr. Sue Jennings’ definition for the purpose of this article. Dr. Jennings has defined Dramatherapy as “the specific application of theatre structures and drama processes with a declared
Cope with Hope: Dealing with Depression after a Loss by David Garcia Coping with loss can be difficult. There is a natural process we undertake while grieving, but sometimes those feelings can become overwhelming, and can eventually take over your other senses needed to function in everyday life. Understanding and analyzing your symptoms and thoughts
Guilt seems to come with loss. We burden ourselves with questions we can never answer, with “what if ” and “why didn’t I”. We repeatedly berate ourselves with “I should have” thoughts. Every time we ask ourselves one of these questions guilt is piled upon more guilt until we are buried (pardon the use of
I’m going to talk about normal, natural grief in about 25 words or less. Well actually a few more than that. Visualize a table in front of an open window. There are stacks of paper on the table, tidy, organized stacks. A slight breeze comes through the window and rustles the papers, now a strong wind comes through and scatters the
This Guided Self-Inquiry Meditation for Grief accompanies the “Tending the Garden of Grief” article written by Heather Stang for the Fall 2016 edition of the TAPS Magazine. TAPS is a wonderful, supportive organization for U.S. military survivors. It is in their honor that I offer this guided meditation as both an audio and as a
