If I tell you that I’m Asian and I’m grieving, what do you now know that you can apply to supporting me with grief and loss? Sorry, it’s a trick question of sorts! In my view, you would know two things: 1. I am Asian 2. I am grieving. It’s important for me to state what might seem obvious, because of my experiences with assumptions, both personally as a griever and professionally as a certified grief coach.

In our fast-paced, result-driven, and productivity-centric world, our brains are constantly trying to make sense of what is going on around us. It is, after all, a big part of a brain’s purpose. But when we are fed so many signals and input on a daily basis, our brains get overstimulated, which makes our “auto-pilot” take over.

Everything changes when a loved one dies, especially relationships. The dynamics of a family change incredibly, even more so when the person who passed was the matriarch or patriarch. Underlying issues within certain relationships may surface, some quite unsettling.

Having dreams about departed loved ones is quite common. According to one study 75% of people had dreams of a departed loves one, and most felt those dreams helped them with their grief.

A little “Q&A” from HeartLight Center about navigating grief during the holiday season. Take good and gentle care of yourself during the holidays.

The heart of almost every home is the kitchen. There is a caring and tenderness that can breathe in that space. At the Open heART Studio this December, we welcome you back into the kitchen, without pressure or expectation, and with lots of support. While holidays stir up memories that can feel difficult, we want to give you a gift within a safe place to create, experience, and connect while giving yourself a sweet takeaway.

Whether you are actively grieving a loved one or you are simply dealing with the ever-present challenges of life, we all seek sources of meaning, inspiration, and perspective. We long to feel healed, be moved, and feel connected to something larger than ourselves. We may find these sources in a person or a book. But for many of us, we look to a specific place. These holy places have a unique ability to make us feel right again.

What does it mean to continue bonds with your loved one? Continuing Bonds is typically used to describe the relationship that continues between a loved one who has passed away and the person left behind. I like to describe it as continuing the connections, communication, and relationships with our loved ones on the other side.

Read more about the research behind our signature Facing the Mourning curriculum-based program and why it is helpful for bereaved individuals.

How can we respond graciously to funeral traditions that are not part of our way of “doing” ritual and grief? Article by Harold Ivan Smith

I’ve been in the wellness industry for over 10 years, and it is still hard for me to talk about self-care. The main issue is this: nothing anyone else has to say can answer for the most critical aspect of self-care practices, the Self.

There are hundreds, if not thousands of articles, blogs and lists of what to say and what not to say to someone who is grieving. In nearly every grief group we facilitate the topic of, “I can’t believe he/she said that…” comes up.
Why is it that when we are supporting someone who is grieving, we cannot figure out what to say and when we are grieving we are often offended by what people say, despite the hundreds of quotes, phrases and advice columns?

When grief lands in our lives, our bodies feel it all. Everything we have lost, our bodies have lost. Our nervous system often regulates our emotions into waves – reaching our capacity of how much we can feel and helping us, over time, to process and integrate the new reality of our lives without.

How we process change, transition, cope and grief is unique to each person. No two people respond to loss in the same way and there is not a time table for healing. Relationships in the workplace are unique, to some the relationship to the person who has died was a working relationship, to others a deep friendship.

How we process change, transition, cope and grief is unique to each person. No two people respond to loss in the same way and there is not a time table for healing. Relationships in the workplace are unique, to some the relationship to the person who has died was a working relationship, to others a deep friendship.

How we process change, transition, cope and grief is unique to each person. No two people respond to loss in the same way and there is not a time table for healing. Relationships in the workplace are unique, to some the relationship to the person who has died was a working relationship, to others a deep friendship.

How we process change, transition, cope and grief is unique to each person. No two people respond to loss in the same way and there is not a time table for healing. Relationships in the workplace are unique, to some the relationship to the person who has died was a working relationship, to others a deep friendship.

How we process change, transition, cope and grief is unique to each person. No two people respond to loss in the same way and there is not a time table for healing. Relationships in the workplace are unique, to some the relationship to the person who has died was a working relationship, to others a deep friendship.

Grief is something that everyone experiences at some point in time, and yet each loss and grief experience is as unique as our fingerprints. Everyone grieves at their own pace and in their own way – that doesn’t mean that anything is “wrong” with them, or with you.

Articles on grief and loss compiled by Counseling Today, one written by HeartLight facilitator Barb Kamlet.