Grief and Trauma

Brenda and Dale – “Family”

Brenda and Dale talk about their struggles in being a family. They continue to grieve the death of their son by suicide.

Rev. Sky – “Helping a friend”

Rev. Sky discusses the grief motto 80% listening, 20% talking and how to help someone in grief.

Birthdays, Anniversaries, and Other Special Days

When we are grieving, some days are more difficult than others. Grief comes in waves like the sea and can feel like an intertwining labyrinth of emotions. Birthdays, anniversaries, and special dates that are associated with our loved one who has died can contribute to more emotionally intense days which can be worsened through the anticipation and “what ifs” of the upcoming day. These difficult days can leave us feeling defeated and it can almost feel like we’ve taken two steps backward in our grieving process, but grief does not have a timeline, and these feelings of setbacks are opportunities for healing.

Sarah K – Coping

Sarah discusses how she copes with this unbelievably painful loss

Cheryl and Mike – “Getting through it”

Cheryl and Mike talk about self care and relationships as they move forward. They continue to grieve the death their daughter in a car accident.

Cheryl and Mike – “Multiple losses”

Cheryl and Mike discuss the differences in loss of people who love you unconditionally. They continue to grieve Cheryl’s father and the death their daughter in a car accident.

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.

Donna B – “Tools for a year of firsts”

Donna discusses how to look after yourself. Donna continues to grieve the death her son during service in Afghanistan.

Krista – “Dealing with it”

Krista tells about the differences people have in dealing with it. 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.

Collective Grief

When the death of a person affects many members in a community, city, country, or across the world, people will experience collective grief.

These are some things that can help people through the experience of collective grief across a community.

Rev. Sky – “It’s OK to cry”

Rev. Sky talks about loss due to gun violence, that it’s OK to cry and finding an outlet.