Understanding and Managing Grief, February 2 - February 15, 2020

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream:

The celebrities we admire often function as blank screens that we project fantasies of ourselves on as heroes, saviors, or romantic figures. A grief educator explains why the death of a celebrity feels like a personal loss, and what we can do about it, https://j.mp/38nDZDe « Business Insider

To experience the richness of life once again, we need to grieve. Closure May Be a Myth, but Grief is a Necessity, https://j.mp/3bC3Edm « P.S. I Love You

Belleruth Naparstek of Health Journeys responds to an interesting question from Patty. ASK BR: Dealing with IBS & Fear of Dying, https://j.mp/2SkpXNb « YouTube

Understanding and Managing Grief, August 31 - September 6, 2014

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Grief and Home Decor: Thanks For The Memories, http://j.mp/1BixoUv « Build Direct Blog

Grief In The Second Year: Finding Your Way, http://j.mp/wRiJJS « Grief Healing Blog

Armchair Analysis: Was Your Relationship 'Good' Enough to Warrant So Much Grief? http://huff.to/1m33QBx « HuffPost Healthy Living

Caregiving and Hospice, July 1 - July 7, 2012

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• How do you explain ‪hospice‬? http://j.mp/M1RZjO ‪‬| GeriPal
  
  
• Parents talking with terminally ill teens and kids about death, http://trib.in/M09Cqs ‪‬
  
  
• 25 Care for the Caregiver Stress Reduction Tips, http://ow.ly/c0PnX
  
  
• Is it moral to allow a person in pain to to endure it? http://bit.ly/rDZKVO
  
  
• Medical Ethics and Me: When Palliative Intent Is Called Into Question, http://j.mp/LXPmkc ‪
  
  
• The CareGiver Partnership is now on Pinterest. Here you'll find everything ‪related to caregiving, http://fb.me/VgHdYLrI

Understanding and Managing Grief, June 24 - June 30, 2012

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• When Scattering Cremated Remains, Be Considerate, http://j.mp/N03oB4
  
  
• Visit ‪Grief‬ Healing on ‪Pinterest‬: Articles, books, resources for bereaved, http://j.mp/KIBb1q
  
  
• Take Awaken to Good Mourning along as a guide to ‪grief‬, http://tinyurl.com/6mzkrzf
  
  
• Good read: Social Media Changes Grieving Process, http://bit.ly/L5ru3i ‪
  
  
• Beautiful! A Love Letter to Colorado, http://j.mp/MXxdpc « Two Old Horses and Me

Understanding and Managing Grief, June 17 - June 23, 2012

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• FriendGrief: How Do You Honor Your Friend? http://j.mp/MpbFzM
  
  
• Anticipatory ‪grief‬ in ‪caregiving‬, http://bit.ly/MxTlXj via @ActiveForever
  
  
• How Long Does Grief Last? http://j.mp/L3ePxw | griefministerdotcom
  
  
• The paradox of grief, http://j.mp/LEUQla | Heartbreak to Healing
  
  
• Compassion Fatigue: When the caregiver needs caregiving, http://bit.ly/MlQrCV by @Victoria_Noe

Understanding and Managing Grief, February 26 - March 3, 2012

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Nice list of recommended Films to Heal By, http://bit.ly/wKk9IB via @SevenPonds. See also Grief Movies http://j.mp/9OPplm
  
  
• Passing the Test of Grief, http://j.mp/w8leWV « Bertram's Blog
  
  
• Are We Medicating Normal Grief? http://j.mp/yQJ0px
  
  
• Touching and beautiful! GriefReflection: It’s Always the Little Things, http://j.mp/xwGYm8
  
  
• Picking Up the Pieces, http://j.mp/AxO8EM  via Small Bird Studios

Second Annual Afterlife Awareness Conference

This announcement comes to us from Terri Daniel, author, hospice worker and intuitive spiritual counselor who teaches meditation, intuition development and after-death communication as tools for navigating the death, dying and grieving process:

Registration is now open for the Second Annual Afterlife Awareness Conference!

We are delighted to announce that our 2012 conference will be held from 8:00 AM on Friday, March 9 through 1:00 PM on Sunday, March 11, 2012 in Virginia Beach, VA., home of Edgar Cayce's Association for Research and Enlightenment (A.R.E). In addition to a great lineup of top-tier presenters, workshops and activities, our agenda will include tours and presentations at A.R.E.

We are honored to have some of top afterlife researchers in the world on our roster of presenters, including Dr. Raymond Moody, Dr. Melvin Morse and Dr. Stuart Hameroff. We'll also have a special presentation by noted psychic medium Suzane Northrop, as well as numerous other impressive speakers and inspiring activities, with more being added every day.

Understanding and Managing Grief, March 27 - April 2

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• It All Comes Down to Love, http://bit.ly/NEPHLove by @NEPetHospice via @georgiaslegacy

• Helpful and Unhelpful Ways to Grieve, http://p.ost.im/p/GysaD by @Tabitha_Jayne

• Grief Observed: Using Movies to Move through Grief, http://ow.ly/4rolr RT @Selfhealingexpr

• In Books on Grief: Academic Researcher and Journalist Are Tilting at Windmills, http://bit.ly/gobyNE by @survivegrief

• "Don’t Cry for Me, Daddy," http://wp.me/pVxlX-72 RT @GrievingDads

Understanding and Managing Grief, February 13 - February 19

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Great read! Grieving at a Young Age http://bit.ly/haZn1C by @LaMuscarella via @Joannefunch

• Wonderful! Doug Koktavy receives an ADC message from mom @BeezerandBoomer http://bit.ly/dJPxsY

• Unique Nature of Sibling Loss, http://bit.ly/idialJ by @Tabitha_Jayne

• Taking action honors loved ones and helps in grief, http://bit.ly/hlEUr1 via @pkassner

• Ways to preserve the memory of the people we've lost, http://ow.ly/3YZVZ by @LaMuscarella

Understanding and Managing Grief, January 23 - January 29

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Valentine's Day Grief Support Groups: Hospice of the Valley is offering free community grief support groups, http://fb.me/RwOLz7mh via @DianaSebzda

• Must read! Helping another through grief, http://bit.ly/dGApKs via @Tabitha_Jayne @DanaSearsFam

• Helping 4-year-old with grandparent loss: A Package Made For Heaven, http://bit.ly/eljufT by @supergluemom

• A lesson about true friends for those facing serious illness, http://goo.gl/fb/tzrnn @kevinmd

• A music therapist says goodbye to a hospice patient, http://bit.ly/gN6I3C by @RachelleNorman

• Good discussion going here: Where to Bury the Second Wife? http://bit.ly/eP6MJx by @abelkeogh

• Treasure Coast Hospice offers grief information and support too! http://bit.ly/dUJefb

• Please help amend Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to include death of a child! Sign petition here, http://bit.ly/fXmHL8 via @GrievingDads

• 11 Tips to Help Manage Anxiety, http://bit.ly/gIPeYn

• How to Express Sympathy to a Friend Grieving the Death of a Loved One, http://on.wsj.com/fOtK9j via @ALZHEIMERSread

• Horse, dog and a special family give beautiful life to young man with AIDS, http://ow.ly/3JO3H via @PetDecisions

• The new stages of grief, http://bit.ly/hD8fih via @KSBuckley

• Dog's presence at funeral home a surprise to some and a comfort to most, http://bit.ly/h7GSPt

• Mourner's Bill of Rights, http://bit.ly/dXURY6 Alan Wolfelt wisdom via @NEPetHospice

• Touching Post: Love in its infinite varieties, http://bit.ly/e56LLX by @hospice_doctor

• Look to Your Hospice for Grief Support, http://bit.ly/gTE3eP

Finding the Zing In Your Life After the Death of a Child: Free Webinar from Open to Hope

This announcement comes to us from Neil Chethik, Executive Editor of the Open to Hope Web site:

You are invited to join Drs. Gloria and Heidi Horsley on Monday, January 24, 2011 as they interview Ron Villano, M.S., LMHC, ASAC on Finding the Zing in Your Life after the Death of a Child. Ron Villano is the leading expert of change. As a bereaved father, he speaks from the heart.  As a licensed psychotherapist, he counsels others on working through difficult times. As a nationally-recognized speaker and author, Ron appears before sold-out audiences across the country.  His fun, captivating and approachable style creates the powerful, life-changing moments you have been looking for. 

This free webinar takes place on Monday, January 24, 2011 from 5  to 6 pm Pacific Time, 7 to 8 pm Mountain Time, and 8 to 9 pm Eastern Time.

Afer registering you will receive a confirmation e-mail containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees require Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003
Macintosh®-based attendees require Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer
 
Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at
http://www3.gotomeeting.com/register/469505270

Understanding and Managing Grief, January 9 - January 15

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• Billy Donovan's Secret Sorrow | ThePostGame, http://t.co/5Hfqkfd via @GrievingDads

• 24-Hour Hotline To Help Grieving Community Following Tucson Shooting, http://j.mp/dKf73Q #grief via @ElinSilveous

• A Moment of Silence for Those Lost in Arizona, http://bit.ly/fgXIoo by @KSBuckley 

• To Grieve or Not to Grieve, That Is the Question! http://dlvr.it/D4QxH #grief via @houstonfunerals

• Tips for Helping Children and Adolescents in Grief, http://bit.ly/eUzeCu via @Selfhealingexpr

• Hospice workers document end-of-life experiences through writing, http://bit.ly/dE9tbU via @hospice_news

• Ten Ways to Comfort the Grieving Heart, http://shar.es/XQi73 by @KSBuckley

• "My wall of dead people": Finding comfort after grief through photos and memories, http://bit.ly/aeds6z by @DoyleDiana

• Petition to Include death of a child in Family Medical Leave Act, http://wp.me/pVxlX-59 by @GrievingDads

Worldwide Candle Lighting Service, 2010

Held annually the second Sunday in December, this year on December 12, 2010 at 7 p.m., The Compassionate Friends Worldwide Candle Lighting unites family and friends around the globe in lighting candles for one hour to honor and remember children who have died ~ at any age, from any cause. Candles are lit at 7 p.m. in participants' own local time zones, creating a virtual 24-hour wave of light that moves from one time zone to another throughout the world.  Hundreds of thousands of persons will join to commemorate and honor deceased children in a way that transcends all ethnic, cultural, religious, and political boundaries.  Formal candle lighting events are held in public venues, and informal candle lightings are conducted in private homes, as families gather in quiet remembrance of children who have died, but who never will be forgotten.

You're also invited to visit TCF's national Web site on Sunday, December 12 to leave a message in their Remembrance Book. Although messages can only be added during this day, the Remembrance Book will be left open throughout the year to enable visitors to read these touching messages from around the world.  You can join in the Online Support Community during its extended Worldwide Candle Lighting Hours. 

Find a Worldwide Candle Lighting Service in your own community here: 2010 Annual Worldwide Candle Lighting Services, or visit the Compassionate Friends/USA Facebook Page.  For information of any type related to the Worldwide Candle Lighting, write nationaloffice@compassionatefriends.org or call 877-969-0010.

Songwriter and ASCAP award winner Paul Alexander wrote the music and lyrics for Light a Candle, a song of remembrance that has been used to enhance thousands of such memorial services.  Listen to the song and find the lyrics here:

Blogs (and Books) for Bereaved Parents

[Reviewed and updated June 23, 2026]

Blogs are becoming increasingly popular and effective as yet another way for the bereaved to process their grief.  Below I've featured four blogs that I think are especially helpful, developed by mothers whose children have died.  (As you can see, some of these bloggers have turned their blog entries into books, or have based their blogs on books they've already written.)

If you've discovered a blog (or book) you would recommend to other bereaved parents, or if you're a parent who's written a blog (or book!) yourself, please feel free to tell us about it in the Comments section beneath this post.
   

I Have No Intention of Saying Goodbye – Offered by bereaved mother and author Sandy Fox, whose 27-year-old daughter Marcy was killed in an automobile accident, this blog is meant "to help bereaved parents move on with their lives."  Sandy’s first publication, I Have No Intention of Saying Goodbye,  lets parents open their hearts and share stories of hope and healing after a child's death.  Her second and most recent book, Creating a New Normal . . . After the Death of a Child, has more than 80 articles on coping techniques to help the bereaved parent, including a huge resource section.

 

Sunshine In a Blue Cup – In the span of 36 months, Diana Doyle  experienced the death of her mother, her sister and her four-year-old daughter.  Today Dee uses her blog “ to write about my everyday comings and goings which I find to be miracles and how my family and friends have become one of my survival tools and give me a reason to smile again . . . I want it to inspire others to realize that you can face any challenge and survive...even become a better person sometimes because of hardship. I want to remind people to look at the joy the little things in life can bring you.”

Gratitude in Grief is a blog journal created by Kelly Buckley to document her journey in the first year of grief following the accidental drowning death of her son Stephen on July 4, 2009. “One thing has helped me breathe, and that is finding at least one little thing to be grateful for each day, in spite of the pain,” says Kelly. She writes in hopes of helping others to find their “one little thing” as well.  Her latest book, Just One Little Thing is an evolution from and a revision of her first book, Gratitude in Grief: Finding Daily Joy and a Life Purpose Following the Death of My Son, which was published early in 2010.

Grief + Creativity – Founded after the death of their son Dakota in 1999 by commercial artists Hawk and Kara LC Jones (aka Mother Henna), KOTA (Knowing Ourselves Through Art) supports bereaved parents and those who care for them after the death of a child, by “exploring the art of healing” –  encouraging the use of art in creative, healing ways.

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here. 

Related:

• Child Loss: Supporting A Sibling in Grief
• Disaster Falls: A Family Story
• Does Child Loss Destroy A Marriage?
• "Follow The Child": Book Review via Seven Ponds
• Fathers' Refuge | Blog Posts
• Follow the Child: Planning and Having the Best End-of-Life Care for Your Child
• Helping a Grandparent Who Is Grieving
• Just Playing House
• Loss of A Child: The Pain That Never Ends
• Mother Struggles to "Accept" The Death of Her Son
• Now You See the Sky
• Surviving A Child's Homicide
• When An Adult Child Dies: Resources for Bereaved Parents
• Where Do I Fit? Understanding an Aunt's Grief after Losing a Nephew

© by Marty Tousley, RN, MS, FT

Afterlife Awareness Conference

You may recall that an earlier post concerning After-Death Communication included an announcement from Terri Daniel about the formation of the Afterlife Education Foundation -- a group of renowned spiritual teachers, afterlife researchers, psychics, grief counselors and educators who recognized the need for, and got together to plan, an official nation-wide conference on the Afterlife.

Terri Daniel has now confirmed that the first annual Afterlife Awareness Conference will be held in Phoenix, Arizona from noon on Friday, April 29 through Sunday, May 1, 2011. 

The conference features noted researchers, counselors, authors and teachers who will address everything from grief recovery to scientific evidence of the afterlife.  It presents an opportunity for participants to learn from presenters experienced in after-death communication, out-of-body experience, near-death experience, psychic research, grief processing and related studies.  Registration is now open.   

After Death Communication

Image Source

[Reviewed and updated August 2, 2023]

Of all the various ways that grief can express itself, perhaps one of the most unsettling is to experience the presence of a lost loved one some time after the death has occurred.  When one so dear to us is gone, it can be very hard to accept that the individual is really dead.  We may think about and dream about our beloved much of the time, and it may seem as if everything around us is a reminder of the one we have lost.  Sometimes we may think we've seen, heard or been touched by the individual--or even that we've received a symbolic communication or message from the one who has died, in the form of a meaningful signal or a vivid dream that appears very real.  Some people find this to be very frightening and disorienting, while others find it to be quite helpful and even comforting. Known as an ADC, or after-death communication, such a mystical experience is by no means abnormal, nor does it forecast a complicated grief reaction.  While some may find them distressing, it is generally believed that such mystical experiences have great power and personal significance for the mourner and may be an important, if not vital, part of healing.

Nowadays grief counselors are encouraged to support, enable and empower grief-stricken individuals to maintain their loving connections with their deceased loved ones. In the official newsletter of the Association for Death Education and Counseling, for example, licensed grief counselor Jane Bissler advocates for parents needing to maintain a bond with their child who has died, and calls upon bereavement professionals to include this in our practice. "Helping these bereaved parents to know the significance of continuing bonds is our new responsibility," she writes. "Nor is it enough for them to know about it. It is imperative that they also be taught how to create a new relationship with their child rather than letting it go." ("My Child Has Died, and So Have I! Grieving the Loss of An Adolescent Child," The Forum, January 2009).

In a study reported in OMEGA—Journal of Death and Dying (Volume 59, Number 2 / 2009), researchers examined subjects’ accounts of post-death encounters and their positive effects on the bereaved. Their findings: The encounters profoundly affected the participants’ beliefs in an afterlife and attitudes toward life and death, and had a significant effect on their grief. Finally, post-death encounters had a healing effect on the participants by contributing to a sense of connectedness with the deceased. We conclude that health care professionals and counselors should be educated about post-death encounters so that the bereaved can share their experiences in a supportive and understanding atmosphere.

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here. 

Related Articles:

• After-Death Communication, Continued
• After-Death Communication: A List of Resources

© by Marty Tousley, RN, MS, FT

Understanding and Managing Grief - June 13 - June 19

From Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

• @LegacyConnect: Do I Have to Cry to Grieve? http://bit.ly/do-I-have-to-cry-to-grieve
  

• @Joannefunch: Loss of Spouse - Diva Toolbox, http://bit.ly/aOv8MJ
  

• @GrievingDads: Emotions After the Death of a Child: Anger, http://wp.me/pVxlX-H
  

• @ctsinclair @nytimesmagazine: Describing Grief, http://bit.ly/djhNgG
  

• @hfahospice: The Grieving Spouse, http://bit.ly/aqYhjY
  

• @HelloGrief: Diana Doyle on the impact of multiple losses on surviving family members, http://bit.ly/bLBFkM

• @doclake: Getting On With Life After a Partner Dies, http://nyti.ms/arXfxQ
  

• @soaringspirits: Added resource for LGBT widowed to resource page. So impressed with Dan in Realtime's efforts, http://bit.ly/9xFcwl
  

• @soaringspirits: Camp Widow for all ages, men, women, straight, LGBT Speakers, http://bit.ly/am4KTD
  

• Bereavement films available to help parents; professionals, http://bit.ly/da04KC
  

• Bereavement photographer lovingly records dying babies’ short lives - chicagotribune.com, http://bit.ly/ag5Jkk
  

• @KSBuckley: Understand the Boundaries When Giving Comfort, http://bit.ly/ahjdq5
  

• Haunting, tragic post: Nightmares Have Taken the Place of Dreams | GrievingDads.com Project, http://bit.ly/9VaQjn
  

• @sara_mc Generous, beautiful post about grieving a friend, http://bit.ly/8XObfu
  

• Grief dreams article, Dream work as a Healing Path Through Grief and Loss, http://bit.ly/dw0YwP

Selected Tweets, Week of May 23 - May 29

Recommended reading, from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

On Caregiving and Hospice:

• Heartwarming Idea! @hvto: Preserving Their Voices - Salt Lake Tribune, http://post.ly/hp9M

• @ElderCareRN: Caregiving is Not For Everyone, http://bit.ly/9r0H0z

• @caring: Wishing For A Loved One's Death, http://bit.ly/bPYyy6

• @nhPNP: Gloria Steinem proposes tax break recognizing in-home caregiving as paid labor, http://bit.ly/98TijN

• @hvto: Saul Friedman: Hospice, A Little known Life-saving Medicare Benefit, http://bit.ly/dAKmWL

• @Selfhealingexpr: Massage Therapists: Home Study Course (10 CEUs toward recertification), http://bit.ly/dqpja3

• @AgeWiseLiving: 3 Key Tips for Families with Loved Ones in a Nursing Home, http://ow.ly/1QswL (via @babyboomerwomen)

• @ElderCareRN: Boomer Family Caregivers: Stop. Look. Listen. Then Act, http://ht.ly/1Q2md (via @BoomerLivingNow)

• @caregiving: Live discussion with Karol Ward about her new book, Worried Sick, http://bit.ly/yZZfS 

• Paula Span: Elderly Spouses Face Hurdles When Caring For Themselves, Ill Loved Ones, http://bit.ly/cVuEZm 

 
On Understanding and Managing Grief:

• Mary Jane Hurley Brant: What it Means to Grieve a Loss | Open to Hope Foundation http://bit.ly/diS8Kg

• For those of you who've recentlty lost a loved one, RT @ElderCareRN: You Must Let Go of the Guilt, http://EzineArticles.com/4376043

• @lovinggrief: Excellent article by Elizabeth Harper Neeld on what the "Stages of Grief" leave out, http://bit.ly/aTkJg2

• @lovinggrief: Useful suggestions from Robbie Kaplan on what to say to one who's suffered a loss, http://bit.ly/cxLSkL

• @DoyleDiana: New blog post "Tainted by GRIEF?" http://bit.ly/aeds6z

• Outstanding article from The Compassionate Friends: The Choice to Heal, http://bit.ly/cQ3HQK

• @JoshFdn @StephSmithFL @BrknHrtsBigBend Beautiful piece on grief and consoling bereaved parents, http://bit.ly/bU63uW

• Tony Falzano: Deep Breathing for the Grieving | Open to Hope Foundation, http://bit.ly/dj0CAw

• @Selfhealingexpr: Dear Marty ~ Mother Loss: When Will the Crying Stop? http://bit.ly/adSrpv 

• Frank Bingham: Living example of surviving personal tragedy « RISE of Your Life Blog http://bit.ly/d0RLCs

• @ComfortZoneCamp: CZC founder Lynne Hughes writes on childhood bereavement for the Huffington Post, http://bit.ly/9kcQXy

• @lovinggrief: Is pain always the experience of grief? http://bit.ly/aKj5zT

• Paul Bennett @lovinggrief: Grief Soup: Your own blend of emotions when you're experiencing grief http://bit.ly/bXVIXh

• Therese Borchard: On Losing a Child | World of Psychology http://bit.ly/aMAdj2

• Yearbook spots for kids who die can be “delicate” | KansasCity.com, http://bit.ly/bZALqM

• @KSBuckley: The Rogue Wave of Grief: http://bit.ly/9Ipk29

 
On Memorial Day: 

• @DrMartyBecker: Beautiful tribute in the UK for animals who served in the wars of 20th Century, http://bit.ly/nmuxT

• Thanks To Those Who Died for Our Freedom, http://bit.ly/bSOrsa 

• @afspcfl @800273TALK: Honor those in military, many dealing with psychological war wounds, http://huff.to/aLyQ8w

• @PaulaRobinsonRN: Supporting Caregivers Supporting Our Veterans, http://tinyurl.com/2uyx8ye 

• @PetsforPatriots: Honoring our female soldiers http://ht.ly/1Qpcw

• @PetsforPatriots RT @SemperFiFund Pledge your support to honor true meaning Memorial Day, http://ow.ly/1QdxP

• @americanwp: Have a loved one laid to rest in Arlington? AWP ladies will honor & capture a photo for you, http://bit.ly/bLzemk

• @afspnational: Suicide among active duty soldiers & returning vets is highest in decades, http://bit.ly/9AEyx6

• @Selfhealingexpr: Making the Most of Memorial Day, http://bit.ly/aNXbBj

• @TAPS4America: Time Magazine features a story on TAPS and families of the fallen! Check it out, http://tinyurl.com/38a4guy

On Pet Loss:

• @PetEndofLife: Two Canine Cancer Resources, #VeterinaryWisdom and http://bit.ly/aXlzWV  

• @DrMartyBecker: When I talk to pet-owners or to vets, my message is always the same: It's about The Bond, http://bit.ly/aUPkLr

• New Training Program in Pet Loss Counseling offered by Animal Spirit Network, http://bit.ly/aDQmk4

• @peternity: Thinking of planting a memorial garden for your pet? Here are some great examples, http://tinyurl.com/lracwj

• @PetGrief: "Grief counseling is often just what the doctor ordered for pet owners suffering a loss," http://bit.ly/drZ7TM

• @LettersPushkin: support network for those going though the loss of a companion animal, http://bit.ly/d4Tg6x

Other Recommended Listening, Viewing, and Reading:

• @hvto: Check out The Caregiver's Path To Compassionate Decision Making: Making Choices by Viki Kind, http://amzn.to/9xktfV

• @ChrisDuminiak: Ask The Angels Radio Show every other Thursday 10 pm EST Sunni Welles & Chris Duminiak, http://bit.ly/cFsurD

• Useful, practical, uplifting 20-minute podcast: Transforming Losses with Guest Ligia Houben | Open to Hope Foundation, http://bit.ly/9Ot0nz 

Using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) in Grief

[Reviewed and updated May 1, 2022]

When the Crying Won't Stop, Try Breathing - In this interesting article from Open to Hope, Gloria Arenson, MFT, DCEP, expert in using Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), describes a simple technique for lessening the pain of negative emotions in grief -- one that can be used "one or more times a day to calm yourself any time you feel as if your despair is too much to bear."

Guided Imagery expert Belleruth Naparstek offers her opinion about EFT in her response to a reader's question, Does Emotional Freedom Technique Work for PTSD? See also EFT for Combat Veterans and Sue Hannibal's transcript of her EFT session, A One-Session Wonder: EFT Heals Combat Trauma in Sgt. Joshua. (Did you know that EFT is also effective in healing traumatized animals? See Healing Traumatized Animals with EFT.)

In this fascinating video, EFT Master Barbara Smith demonstrates how EFT can help, as she gently guides a bereaved mother in using the tapping technique to relieve the pain and suffering of her daughter's tragic death:



Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below.
If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here. 

Additional Resources:

• Carol Look, EFT Master
• The Tapping Solution
• EFT May Look Weird, But If It Gets The Job Done, Do We Care?
• Navigating Pet Loss (with EFT tapping video)

© by Marty Tousley, RN, MS, FT, BC-TMH