Grief during CIRS and chronic illness recovery is natural. I’ve recently graduated from David Kessler’s Grief Educator Program as a certified peer-to-peer support. It was a rich and insightful (even sometimes uncomfortable!) 3- month deep dive into grief and all its layered complexities. Any training can stir up suppressed emotions, and I certainly felt some feelings that were stuffed away. It was healing, partly because I didn’t realize there were so many people interested in grief! I left thinking, “Wow, what a better world this will be with all these folks grief aware.”
Grief work feels like a calling. There have been periods of my life where I have experienced profound grief, such as after the loss of my mother at age 18, and in the last 2 years during CIRS recovery. Those around me didn’t always have their own tools or capacities to support, so I muddled through the best I could finding resources and leaning into my meditation practice.
Now people call or meet with me just to cry and vent, sharing their deepest feelings of sorrow as they go through their own waves of grief. And I don’t mind one bit. During my own deepest periods of grief, there weren’t folks around me that could hold space for the pain. I feel honored to witness and allow everyone to be in their own process. I’ve been through deep sadness and know it well. I didn’t turn away and instead leaned in. This allows me to hold space for your feelings because I have loved all the parts of the human experience. There is great healing in being seen and heard in grief.
I invite you to check out my recently published article for Open to Hope Foundation about Grief During Chronic Illness and CIRS recovery.
Grief During Chronic Illness Article
I warmly invite you to schedule your own grief and emotional support call with me HERE.
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