RESOURCES
Holistic resources for bereavement and grief support
Bereavement and grief are multifaceted experiences that can affect many different parts of our life. In addition to providing counselling to address some of the emotional, mental and spiritual impacts of loss, I signpost a range of practitioners, workshops and resources so you can benefit from a holistic approach to your grief journey.
Body
The effects of grief can manifest physically - in the form of fatigue, sudden aches and pains, and weight loss or gain - for example. Cultivating a daily practice of physical self-care can be healing and comforting, especially while undertaking therapy. It can help to soothe the nervous system and signal to the body that it is safe and held. At the same time, it can be hard to look after ourselves when we are in shock or struggling with strong emotions. There are a wealth of practices that can help relieve this embodied discomfort - such as massage, yoga and breathwork - and practitioners who will meet you wherever you’re at, so you can truly experience the benefit.
Degriefing - with Lyn Prashant
‘Degriefing’ is a unique approach to grief support that brings together verbal and physical therapies in order to relieve an individual’s emotional, mental and physical pain following a loss. The process aims to steady your body and mind, giving you much-needed space to allow your grief to resolve in a way that also helps you honour your loved one.
Inspirational Breathing - with Nicola Price
By supporting you to breathe more freely, in combination with additional tools including sound and movement, this practice can help you let go of unwanted or buried feelings so you can welcome in new energy and reconnect with joy. It can support you in your grief by helping you manage strong emotions, by reducing anxiety and stress, as well as by improving energy levels and sleep that can so often be disrupted following a loss.
Feeding the Bereaved - with Frances Holmes
Following a bereavement or loss, our appetite can often change. We may find we overeat for comfort, or don’t want to eat at all. This programme offers advice on diet to help you manage getting the nutrition your body needs while you grieve.
Mind
A variety of tools and resources can be used to help process grief and loss between therapy sessions. Deep, transformative work can be achieved through activities like letter-writing and journaling. These can be helpful in raising awareness as well as in finding closure or connection. There is great value in these contemplative practices that can help you identify your present state and honour your relationship moving forward.
Some good places to start include the following books:
The Grief Book by Debbie Moore and Carolyn Cowperthwaite - A selection of practical tools and strategies to help you move through your grief.
Grief Works: Stories of Life, Death and Surviving by Julia Samuel - A guide to grief and different types of loss, told through the stories of clients undertaking therapy.
The Sixth Stage of Grief by David Kessler - An approach to working through grief that focuses on honouring the relationship and finding meaning.
Plus the following websites:
What’s Your Grief offers information and support coping with life after loss, via online courses, books, blog posts, and more.
The Grief Channel is dedicated to normalizing conversations around grief, death and dying and contains videos on a range of related topics.
Spirit
Tending to your spiritual self can be a healing and inspiring way to find meaning on your grief journey. Complementary therapies, art, music and creativity, as well as rituals or time in nature, can all serve as meaningful ways to help you connect with your loved one or move forward through your grief. And it doesn’t have to be complicated - making your grandmother’s famous recipe in her memory for example - could be one simple way. The aim is to find a unique practice or ethos that works for you and reflects your own understanding of spirituality.
Wellness mentoring & retreats - with Rina Golan
Rina offers holistic, yogic and ayurvedic lifestyle medicine to transform your health and bring harmony into your life. Bereavement can unbalance us and take a toll on our physical, mental and emotional health. Rina provides a gentle guide to nourish and rebalance the system, allowing you to return to yourself and feel lighter in mind and body.
Grief Tending - with Sarah and Tony Pletts / Embracing Grief
‘Grief tending’ is a way of making time and space to grieve in a group setting. The process usually involves a ritual where feelings can be expressed with or without words and are framed by other activities that may be creative or embodied - such as artwork or movement. Being witnessed and supported as part of a group that comes together to do this work can be a very powerful experience.
Movement Medicine - with Mira Khanya
This practice directs awareness to our movements, thoughts and feelings through dance. It is a meditative practice that opens the way to deep reflection and offers a space to release emotions and replenish energy. It can support you following a loss, by creating a different kind of space to express your grief and explore your experience, while having a positive impact on your physiological and psychological wellbeing.
Systemic & Family constellations - with Illi Adato
This therapeutic process offers a way of exploring the forces that have shaped our experience. It can be a powerful way of understanding the root causes of challenges in our personal life. Following a bereavement, it can be useful for making sense of the relationship dynamics and family history impacting our grief, so we can clear blockages and move forwards on our journey.