Map Your Healing Journey

Grief recovery is not something I ever thought I would experience. I thought I would always experience these aching wounds, with no possibility of resolution.

Fortunately, I was wrong – the Grief Recovery Method is pretty good. Before I signed up to be certified as a Grief Recovery Specialist, I researched what other programs are out there to help us move through the grieving process.

Not much. I didn’t find much of anything, and nothing that compared to the Grief Recovery Method.

Why Grief Recovery?

I figured out long ago that I wasn’t going to get through my trauma experiences without grieving. And nobody really talks about how trauma and grief recovery intertwine.

Why Invest in the Grief Recovery Method? | Map Your Healing Journey

For instance, I am a survivor of sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and psychological abuse by my parents. As my trauma recovery gained traction, I realized that I could no longer have relationships – such as they were – with family members. Many family members discounted my abuse or simply didn’t believe me.

Cutting ties with my family members – especially abusive ones – was a quagmire of grief. First, I got to grieve the family that I *did* have, and then I got to grieve the family that I *didn’t* have. Double whammy.

If we take steps in trauma recovery, grief is going to show up.

Everybody Grieves

When I was in college studying to become a teacher, I took several classes on child development. I remember a specific class when the professor said, “The point of parenting is to work yourself out of a job.”

I grabbed onto that, turning it into an inspiration for raising independent kids who had skills to take care of themselves and treat others well. I would glibly remind myself, “The point of parenting is to work yourself out of a job.”

There was one thing I didn’t realize – working myself out of a job is *painful.* Parenting as a process is full of emotional landmines and straight up loss.

Loss is part of life. We can be as poetic as we want about it, but at the end of the day, loss is *painful.* And we all encounter grief and loss. Knowing how to navigate through this grief and loss is a set of invaluable skills.

Learn How to Grieve in Forward Motion

The thing about grief is that it can be a messy cyclone that settles into sticky mud. We can sit in the middle of that mud puddle for days, weeks, and years, trying to figure out a way through and out.

It’s not as if we *want* to stay there. We haven’t learned any effective ways to move through grief, to gain forward motion in the grieving process. In my culture, we do not talk about it and we are not taught how to take care of ourselves when grieving.

The Grief Recovery Method takes us in a forward motion, which for a griever, can be quite a relief. Somewhere to go besides the muck! And the skills we learn in the grief recovery process can be used forever, and built upon.

Grief Recovery Means Emotional Completeness

I was *vvveeeerrrryyy* skeptical of this claim (although I am skeptical about most things LOL). I mean, who promises emotional completeness?

Well, it turns out that emotional completeness is a specific set of skills (please tell me that you read that last line like Liam Neeson). Again, like PTSD Remediation, it’s not magic. These skills can be learned and taught, in a group setting or one-on-one. A priceless investment.

Grief Classes Coming Up

I teach classes on Grief Recovery in person and via Zoom. We can go through the material one-on-one or in a group, and either way it takes about 8 weeks. I will continue to offer in-person and virtual grief groups, so stay tuned!

If you’re interested in joining a Grief Recovery Support Group, sign up using the form below! Questions? Contact me for more information, or schedule a free 30-minute discovery call.