Your grief is sacred, a work of art, a masterpiece dying to be born.

Grief Passage - A Rite of Life

As a grief expert both personally and professionally, I have a deep passion for helping people make meaning and beauty of their grief so they can cross the bridge of sacred right of passage to a new way of living in the world.

A grief passage is the process or period of emotional suffering, adjustment, and healing that we go through after experiencing a significant loss, often of a loved one. The process highlights that grief is a journey or transition rather than a static emotional state. It encompasses the emotional, mental, physical, and even spiritual reactions to loss and reflects the passage through different stages or phases of grief, such as shock, denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and eventually, acceptance or integration.

In a therapeutic process, a grief passage offers a specific ritual, exercise, or guided therapeutic experience designed to help individuals healthily work through their grief. It could include activities like creating art, utilizing movement and music, or mindfulness practices as a means to processing and understanding one's feelings of loss.

Grief is like a garden that needs tending to bloom, again and again. In these sessions, you will find a compassionate space to process your emotions, share your story, and explore the depths of your grief. Whether you're mourning the loss of a loved one, a relationship, or any life transition, these sessions are designed to guide you gently through the complex emotions that arise. You’ll be supported in finding meaning and peace while honoring your unique experience.

These half and full-day in-person sessions provide the time and space to delve deeply into your healing journey. Using a blend of mindfulness, somatic experiencing, and art therapy, these sessions will help you navigate your grief with patience, compassion, and care. We will utilize art, ritual, movement, music, and creativity to express your sorrow, pain, and heartache to begin to make meaning and memory of your loss.

The path of grief is not about "moving on" but about moving through, to move forward with the love of your loved one nestled into the foreverness of your heart. Your grief is the echo of love waiting to be expressed into the universe and fertilize the Earth’s soil.

Collective Grief

Collective grief refers to the sorrow shared by a group or community following a significant loss or traumatic event. This could be related to national tragedies, pandemics, mass shootings, or social injustices that impact entire communities. Collective grief has a communal quality, as people come together to process shared emotions and mourn publicly. The COVID-19 pandemic is a recent example, where entire nations and the global community faced the loss of loved ones, jobs, and normalcy, leading to widespread collective grief.

Career & Life Transition

Losing a job or undergoing a major career shift can also evoke deep feelings of grief. For many, careers are tied to their identity, financial security, and sense of purpose. When that structure is removed, it can result in feelings of fear, loss of direction, and grief for the life that once was. Career transitions, even when positive or chosen, may still be accompanied by a mourning process for the roles, relationships, and daily routines that are left behind.

Forms of Grief

Death of a Loved One & Relationship Endings

This is the most universally recognized form of grief. The death of a family member, close friend, or beloved pet can shatter the foundation of one’s life, creating a void that feels impossible to fill. The grieving process in this case is often deep, ongoing, and multifaceted, encompassing feelings of sadness, anger, disbelief, and longing. Mourning the loss of a pet can be equally profound, as pets often serve as companions, family members, and sources of unconditional love.

The end of a romantic relationship, whether through divorce, separation, or a breakup, can trigger a profound sense of grief. This form of loss may bring up feelings of abandonment, failure, rejection, and an aching sense of loneliness. Even in situations where the ending is mutual or for the best, there is often a mourning period for what was or what could have been. Similarly, the loss of friendship can also lead to grief, particularly when the relationship is a significant emotional support.

Eco Grief

Eco grief, also known as ecological or environmental grief, is the emotional response to the awareness of climate change, environmental degradation, and the loss of ecosystems. As people witness the deterioration of the natural world, they may experience sadness, despair, and even a sense of helplessness about the future of the planet. This form of grief is increasingly common as awareness of global environmental crises grows, and it affects people on both individual and collective levels.