Bereavement Professionals’ Insights

Cara – Grief and intellectual disabilities is a topic that needs to “get out there”

Cara shares some information from a participant in her research on intellectual disabilities and the bereaved. A person with an intellectual disability said… “Grief: It’s a topic that needs to get out there” Grief is something that so many people are hesitant to talk about, to display, to show, because there’s so many social rules around how we grieve. This is particularily challenging for the intellectually disabled.

Chantal – Anticipatory grief

Chantal defines antipatory grief and the grief before the physical loss

Craig – My Story

Craig’s story is one of resilience and triumph. In the span of just 18 months, he lost his marriage, his mom, two dogs, a cat, his job, and his house. But rather than give up, he picked himself up and started over. He went back to school to become a therapist, and now he’s helping others who are struggling to overcome adversity. Craig’s story is a reminder that no matter how bad things seem, there is always hope. With hard work and determination, you can overcome any challenge.

Cheryl – “Complicated Grief”

Cheryl discusses unresolved grief.

Janice – “Grief and the whole relationship”

Janice uses a personal story to talk about how loss can be related to the whole relationship not just the death.

Cheryl – “My story”

Cheryl talks about her daughter’s organ donations.

Chantal – The benefits of the physical part of art making

Chantal talks about how art can release energy in a healthy cathartic way

Sara – Music at the end of life

Sara talks about the values of music at the end of life

Jacqueline – Crying

Jacqueline talks about how grief is love and how crying is natural

Janice – “Grieving alone”

Janice discusses grieving alone and when its important to have people around you that can listen and understand what you are feeling.

Grief, Breastfeeding, and Care

In this essay, I share a bit about my story of grief and breastfeeding. I also share some thoughts about the cultural grief some people are carrying about the lack of support afforded to lactating families whose goal it is to feed their baby from their body. I use some gendered language throughout this essay…

Carrie – Photography and grieving

Carrie discusses how photography can be very freeing in that it allows for exploration and move us away from the need to explain and can be more about experience what our own process is all about.