Grief and Loss
Grief can follow death, separation, illness, disability, relocation, betrayal, loss of work, loss of identity or the end of a hoped-for future. Grief does not follow a fixed timetable.
A Grief Ritual
- Write what you lost, what you wish had happened, what you are grateful for, what remains unfinished, what you need to release and what you choose to carry forward.
- Read the page slowly, allow silence, and close by honouring what mattered while releasing the demand that the past become different.
Trauma-Related Pain
Trauma responses are protective adaptations, not character defects. They may include feeling unsafe after danger has passed, intrusive memories, avoidance, hypervigilance, numbness, shame, startle responses, difficulty trusting, physical tension and sleep disruption.
Present-Time Orientation
- Name five things you see.
- Feel your feet or another supported part of your body.
- State your name, location and today’s date.
- Notice an exit, a trusted person or another sign of present safety.
- Say: The memory is present, but the event is not happening in this exact moment.