Grief

Strange to say, but catastrophe is usually the circumstance that liberates strength, wisdom, and kindness from within the suffocating embrace of fear. Dying, we can be more alive. Being present and giving care in the midst of a meltdown of mind or life can seed compassion. This is how we mature, and how transparency and intimacy is engendered. Our very physical and psychic vulnerability, if we allow it, shows us the path and the present.

~Roshi Joan Halifax

I view grief as one of the least understood and most prevalent elements of human experience. It is one of the most profound experiences in our lives and can be a catalyst for acceptance and change. Grief is about loss, whatever the loss may be not only death. This can be around major life changes such as birth, death, ending of relationships, jobs, etc. We actually experience loss on a daily basis in the form of change. I work to bring grief and loss into the broader consciousness of being a whole and healthy human being.

Through exploring your somatic, experiential, emotional, and felt sense of loss, we will work to find acceptance, empathy, compassion, and movement in your process of grief.  I have triained with Roshi Joan Halifax (Being with Dying) and Frank Ostaseski (The Five Invitations: Discovering What Death Can Teach Us About Living Fully), two of the leaders in the growing field of compassionate grief work.  This work is based in the three tenants of basic peacemaking from Roshi Bernie Glassman: not-knowing, bearing witness, and compassionate action.  I base my work with grief on these three tenants into an open exploration of the power and potential of grief in our lives.  I am also a volunteer at Trail Winds Hospice in Boulder, Colorado where I lead a grief group and offer individual grief sessions.