What We Get Wrong About Grief: Healing From Loss Of Loved Ones, Pets, Friendship Breakups, & The State of the World
May 8, 2024
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Licensed Clinical Social Worker Gina Moffa discusses various types of grief, including pet loss and friendship breakups, offering tools for healing and navigating loss. She explores the need for closure, dealing with fear of future loss, and the physical impacts of grief. Tips on supporting loved ones through grief and processing emotions are shared, emphasizing the importance of acknowledging different forms of loss and providing authentic support.
Grief is a multilayered experience that encompasses various types of loss, from losing loved ones to the loss of friendships or pets. The speaker emphasizes that acknowledging and honoring the different forms of grief is essential for individuals to navigate the healing process effectively. By recognizing the diverse nature of grief beyond death-related mourning, individuals can validate their emotions and give themselves permission to grieve deeply and authentically.
Navigating Different Types of Loss
The podcast delves into the multifaceted nature of grief and the various ways it manifests in people's lives. The speaker, Gina Mafa, a trauma-informed grief therapist, highlights the significance of differentiating between types of losses like losing a loved one, friendship breakup, or political disillusionment. While grief associated with death may involve acceptance and memory, other losses can empower individuals to explore new aspects of themselves and find alternative sources of fulfillment.
Addressing Ambiguous Loss
The discussion covers the concept of ambiguous loss, where individuals experience a profound sense of loss without closure, such as in cases of dementia or relationship changes. Gina Mafa explains the challenges of ambiguous loss and its impact on individuals' mental and emotional well-being. Navigating this form of grief requires finding ways to create closure and regain a sense of control amidst uncertain and unresolved circumstances.
Embracing the Complexity of Grief
The podcast encourages listeners to embrace the complexity and depth of grief rather than seeking simplistic solutions or predefined stages of mourning. The focus is on honoring one's unique grief journey, which may involve a full range of emotions and experiences. By fostering self-understanding, seeking support, and allowing for individualized coping mechanisms, individuals can navigate grief with authenticity and resilience.
Supporting Someone Through Grief: Key Strategies and Phrases
Supporting someone through grief requires authenticity and thoughtfulness in communication. Avoid using cliches like 'heaven got another angel' and instead offer genuine support. By being yourself and showing up consistently, you can provide meaningful comfort. It's important to acknowledge the long-term nature of grief and adapt your support over time. Encourage open communication, express empathy, and be present without pressuring the griever.
Coping with Personal Grief and Navigating Support: Letter Writing and Authenticity
Dealing with personal grief involves honoring the lost individual through activities like writing letters or creating memorials. Acknowledge and express grief authentically to navigate the mourning process. Encourage seeking external support and maintaining boundaries to prevent burnout. Remember that grief doesn't have a set endpoint; it's about integrating loss and memories into life moving forward with understanding and care.
Gina Moffa, LCSW, discusses different types of grief, how they physically and emotionally affect us, and exactly what you can do to start healing from them today.
Specific tools for navigating different types of losses, like losing loved ones, friendship breakups, the state of the world, and more
Whether or not we NEED closure to move on from loss
What to do if you live in fear of future loss (even when everything is technically great at the moment!)
How to access and process your emotions if you feel numb
The profound physical impacts of grief and how to heal your body in addition to your heart and mind
How to support people you love while they are managing grief, including the best and worst things to say
Why pet loss is especially difficult & exactly how to cope with the loss of a pet
The Liz Moody Podcast cover art by Zack. The Liz Moody Podcast music by Alex Ruimy.
Formerly the Healthier Together Podcast.
This podcast and website represents the opinions of Liz Moody and her guests to the show. The content here should not be taken as medical advice. The content here is for information purposes only, and because each person is so unique, please consult your healthcare professional for any medical questions.
