Grief and Trauma

Sarah K – Story

Sarah tells the story of her husbands death to a heroin overdose.

Shannon – Losing is a life skill

Shannon shares about losing her husband to suicide, her parents and her father-in-law. She felt broken and to be able to take care of her kids and her self seemed overwhelming. It took someone telling her that you can heal from trauma to give her hope for healing.

Christian – “Growth out of pain”

Christian tells about how grief changes and we grow.

Cheryl and Mike – “Everybody’s different”

Cheryl and Mike discuss how everyone is unique in their grieving. They continue to grieve the death their daughter in a car accident.

Krista – “It’s not your fault”

Krista discusses how people blame themselves. Krista continues to grieve the death of her son from opioid overdose.

Bryan – Helping Others

Bryan explains how his experience with grief has helped him help others and why it’s so important for him.

Rev. Sky – “Retraumatization”

Rev. Sky discusses trauma and re-experiencing the initial emotion had at the beginning of a loss.

Donna B – “Offering Support”

Donna explains how talking/listening is a help. Donna continues to grieve the death her son during service in Afghanistan.

When Death Comes Suddenly

When someone dies suddenly we often struggle with grief that is raw, unpredictable and powerful.

Tending to My Garden of Grief

So long as I remember the lives of those I have lost, honour their presence and impact on me and celebrate their spirit, they will continue to live with me and the pain will feel bearable. It will no longer stop me in my tracks. Instead, it will encourage me and propel me forward through the transmutation of that grief into something different, something more nuanced and fluid. I’d like to share a practice for processing grief which I have found to be especially helpful.

What I know about grief

The following are some things I know to be true about grief for me, based on my lived experience. Some of them may resonate with you as well. Grief is unique to the people experiencing it in each moment, so please take whatever makes sense to you from this share and leave whatever doesn’t.

Christian – “Stigma of opioid death”

Christian talks about the social acceptance of an opioid overdose.