Grief & trauma
Let's be realistic here, the process of grief cannot be cut short. People need to go through grief in order to process and enter a new chapter of their life.
Grief isn’t something we can simply ‘fix’ with a tool or a principle, but it is certainly something we can learn to identify, be aware of and learn to manage.
Whether facing the death of a close family member, friend or partner, the end of a relationship or any other significant loss, we are going to grieve.
Grieving is painful, normal and necessary. We know we will need all the strength, resilience, support, and comfort we can, especially if we are carrying additional stress. It’ does help to be supported through the process.
As someone that has faced a fair share of grief and trauma, i can put myself in your shoes and help you manage and process these feelings ofs sadness, regret, shame, blame, anger, overwhelm, depression, anxiety and anger by using a client centered approach and various techniques that provide ease and release.
Hypnosis is widely used in the treatment of pathological grief but is much underreported. It facilitates the mourning process and makes possible a personal reorientation for the future.
What is Grief?
Grief is usually thought to mean the reaction to the death of a loved one. However, you may experience grief and loss when a long standing or intense relationship ends, loss of you work, or experience other major life transitions like moving home, redundancy, children moving away from home or a best friend getting married might also leave you with a sense of overwhelming loss. Grief has several stages include shock and disbelief; denial, guilt and shame; anger; depression, loneliness and reflection; reconstruction or working through; and finally acceptance. Part of the process of grief, in time, is exploring who we are in our new circumstances. We become someone different.
Grief is a form of trauma; but when our loss is dramatic, sudden or the result of violence, we are dealing with a whole other level of trauma and grief, which can easily lead to signs of depression.
Stuck in grief
The more we ignore the process of grieving, the more likely it is that we become stuck in grief and can’t find a way out. When we don't go through the process to heal, we can develop deep-seated feelings of heartache, despair and depression that can overwhelm us and begin to manifest in other ways.. Sometimes there’s trauma linked to the grief as well and trauma can in many ways block our ability to feel and move forward in life.
Time heals
We all need to grieve in our own way , without judgement. Expressing the full range of emotions helps us process and understand our loss and to deal with those emotions arising from it. It is important to acknowledge and feel any emotions that arise, which is sometimes easier with a trained therapist to guide you through this process.
Guilt is a common human emotion that can arise from various situations, including actions, failures, or even thoughts perceived as morally wrong. It's a self-conscious emotion that can be a sign of strong moral values and a sense of responsibility. While guilt can motivate positive change and repair relationships, excessive or persistent guilt can be a sign of underlying issues like anxiety, depression, or a guilt complex.
These are all thoughts and interpretations. taking control of our thoughts, and interpretations, helps us reframe our feelings better. When we are grieving, the seat of our emotions is our primitive mind, not our intellectual mind. And when we are stuck in our primitive mind, it is not as easy to access the part of our mind that thinks clearly, solves problems and plans forward. Hypnotherapy can help access that part of the subconscious mind and reframe the the thought process.