Francis Weller, a psychotherapist and renowned author, discusses the transformative power of grief as a vital human experience. He emphasizes that facing sorrow can foster community connection and personal growth. Weller explores how rituals can help process grief, bridging individual pain with ancestral experiences. He highlights the importance of self-compassion and adult resilience in navigating emotional challenges. The conversation encourages embracing vulnerability and cultivating a deeper sense of belonging in difficult times.
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insights INSIGHT
Grief as an Apprenticeship
Grief is a human capacity to process sorrow and transform it into something beneficial for the community.
Unprocessed grief can become oppressive and lead to feelings of depression.
insights INSIGHT
Metabolizing Grief
Grief is not simply something to be endured, but something to actively engage with.
Through creative expression and ritual, grief can be metabolized into a source of strength.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Offering Grief a Bottom
Create a "bottom" for your grief by sharing it with others and engaging in communal practices.
This helps mitigate feelings of panic and creates a sense of being held.
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Francis Weller's "The Wild Edge of Sorrow" offers a profound and compassionate exploration of grief and its transformative potential. Weller moves beyond conventional understandings of grief, delving into its multifaceted nature and its capacity to lead to personal growth and deeper self-understanding. He emphasizes the importance of embracing and honoring our sorrows, rather than suppressing or avoiding them. The book explores various forms of grief, including the loss of loved ones, relationships, and dreams, and provides guidance for navigating these challenging experiences. Weller's work encourages readers to view grief not as an obstacle but as an opportunity for profound transformation and connection to the human experience.
Dwellings
Linda Hogan
Right now, we may be surrounded by grief, anxiety, fear, and uncertainty. But we don’t have to drown in our sorrows or deny the painful realities of these trying times. In this podcast, join Tami Simon in dialogue with psychotherapist, bestselling author, and “soul activist” Francis Weller to explore a new and empowering approach to grief—one that is essential for both our personal well-being and our capacity to be of service to others.
Listen now to a much-needed conversation about the attitudes and skills involved in “an apprenticeship with grief,” including: how grief softens and opens the heart; metabolizing grief, and the choice to engage instead of endure; how to “offer a bottom” to your grief to mitigate feelings of anxiety or panic; the energy of melancholy; relinquishing our culture’s heroic ideal; containment and release—the two requirements of grief; navigating “the long dark” of our times; getting into “village mind” and embracing a communal approach to grief; breaking the pattern of denial; how grief work brings you more fully into the present moment; waking up from “the amnesia and the anesthesia”; being an adult in your relationship to grief; simple rituals you can explore to engage grief with deeper intention and meaning; attuning to the rhythm of “the archaic psyche”; our soul responsibility—to register the losses of the world; ancestral grief; patience; the elements of soulful living; the invocation of courage and faith; and more.
Note: This episode originally aired on Sounds True One, where these special episodes of Insights at the Edge are available to watch live on video and with exclusive access to Q&As with our guests. Learn more at join.soundstrue.com.
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