Dealing with Grief During the Holidays By Paulina Rael Jaramillo Grief and the emotions that accompany the loss of a loved one is an agonizing experience and during the holidays it can seem like an overwhelming ordeal. Reassessing our attitude toward the holidays, deciding how involved we want to be as well as modifying old…
Grieving Together
Grieving Together All losses we experience result in a period of grief. This grieving process is the way we heal both in body and mind from the trauma. Whether the loss is singular, experienced by an individual or multiple, experienced by many having others support the grieving process provides comfort and helps healing. This is…
Creating New Beginnings for Healing
Creating New Beginnings for Healing Every day we have the opportunity to start again, to create new beginnings and heal from the challenges and losses from the past days, weeks and years. But too often instead of seeing each day as a new beginning we drag the old pain, hurt and trauma with us into…
Heeding Our “Emotional” Heart
Heeding Our “Emotional” Heart We hear statements such as “He has a broken heart”, “My heart is sad”, “That is a heartache” and we understand that a person is going through a sad and hurtful experience. We associate our heart with emotions; painful, sad, and joyful. Does our heart really break or are we…
Understanding Trauma and Loss
Understanding Trauma and Loss As our culture and society becomes more accepting of mental health as an intricate component of each person’s overall health there is now more interest in the concept and impact of trauma and traumatic events on physical and mental wellbeing. Information, educational programs and environmental cultural shifts are occurring in all…
Healing through Helping
Healing through Helping When we are in emotional pain it is difficult to think of anything but the pain we are experiencing and the cause of the pain. We can be “stuck” in the pain and that keeps us from healing and moving forward in our lives. Emotional pain, like the physical pain we experience…
The Many Faces of Healing
The Many Faces of Healing The definitions of healing include the following: To restore to health or soundness; cure; To set right; repair: To restore (a person) to spiritual wholeness. In our society we use the term “healing” in many context, most align with one of the official definitions. Physical Healing: Primarily we…
May You Live to be One Hundred
May You Live to be One Hundred A famous proverb states: “May you live to be a one hundred and may I live to be 99” The first time I heard that proverb I though “How wise and how true” because none of us wants to outlive those we love. Nobody wants to be “last”.…
Four Tips on Coping with Pet Loss
Four Tips on Coping with Pet Loss Anyone who considers a pet a beloved friend, companion, or family member knows the intense pain that accompanies the loss of that friend. Following are some tips on coping with that grief, and with the difficult decisions one faces upon the loss of a pet. 1. Am I…
Foot Prints on Our Hearts
Foot Prints on Our Hearts There is a quote that says, “ When your parents dies you lose your past, when your spouse dies you lose your present and when your child dies you lose your future”. Children are not supposed to die before their parents. It does not fit in with our sense of…