Grief Therapy and Grief Counselling

For anyone who has been through the loss of a loved one, you know that walking through grief is one of the most challenging, devastating, and unexpected events in life, even if the loss was anticipated in some way.

 

Whether it’s the loss of a parent, sibling, pet, friend, spouse, miscarriage, infant loss, or the loss of a child; the journey through grief is deeply personal and profoundly difficult.

​

Grief can bring about a range of emotions, and can feel unbearable to many people. It can feel like a path that you are not sure how to navigate, and sometimes strong emotions and symptoms can arise not only days, but months or years later. 

​

For many people, the emotions they experience can range from denial, frustration, replaying events and memories, working through thoughts of “what if”, experiencing regret, deep sorrow, depression, anger, and even numbness. Many of these emotions can occur at the same time, and there is no linear pathway to navigate grief. These emotions are common and normal in the face of loss. 

​

Grief is messy, unexpected and can often times feel debilitating. Grief really is a beast and can feel relentless. 

​

Moreover, grief can be a lonely journey and it might feel difficult to relate or connect with others after loss, affecting our relationships. We can grieve differently than those around us and this further contribute to feelings of isolation.  

 

We also might feel like we are different people than before our loss, and we can feel disconnected from our identity, purpose, and sense of self. 

​

For some people, grief can manifest more physically, for example in the form of symptoms such as tension headaches, recurring illness, difficulties sleeping, or experiencing unexplained pain.

​

In some cases, grief can become complicated grief (also known as “unresolved grief, or “persistent complex bereavement disorder”). Complicated grief is different than typical grief in that those experiencing it continue to have prolonged and intense emotions surrounding grief, and don’t experience any relief from these emotions, even when a significant amount of time has passed. This can lead to feeling stuck and have difficultly moving forward and engaging with life.  Individuals experiencing complicated grief may feel as though their emotions are as intense as in the immediate aftermath of their loss. If you think you might be experiencing complicated grief, you can read more here

​

Sometimes our grief also has elements of it that can be quite traumatic; for example, for those who have experienced miscarriage, pregnancy loss, or infant loss, the unique details and events connected to your individual loss may feel very traumatizing. 

​

In either case, please know that there is NO right or wrong way to grieve. Everyone works through grief in different ways and at different paces. ​​