Loss of a Family Member

Articles

  •  The “Phantom Limb” of the Soul

    Posted on July 28, 2026 - by Bill Beckett

    It is a well-documented phenomenon: a person loses a limb, yet they can still feel it. The brain continues to fire signals to a hand or a leg that is no longer there. They reach for objects with fingers that do not exist or try to stand on a foot that has been gone for years. The nerves are firing based on a map of the body that has not been updated. When I lost my wife, Bonnie, six years ago, I discovered that grief creates its own version of a phantom limb. Except, I did not just lose a […]

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  • Grief Rituals: Creating Meaningful Memorials That Actually Help You Heal

    Posted on July 24, 2026 - by Heidi Horsley

    Grief rituals aren’t just tradition — research shows they genuinely help us cope with loss. Here’s why rituals ease grief, ideas for creating your own meaningful memorials, and how small acts of remembrance can bring comfort.

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  • Dreamtime

    Posted on July 21, 2026 - by gyanirichards

    As I drifted off to sleep last night, my heart hummed with a familiar warmth and, in its secret way, sent out a quiet invitation to those nocturnal angels who watch over us at night. I found myself in one of those quasi-dream states in which most of me was dreaming, but there was a sliver of awareness that could witness what unfolds.  I was standing alone in the gauzy grey of twilight, underneath a large exterior deck of a familiar ski lodge from my childhood. I don’t know what I was doing there but the mood was expectant, preparatory. […]

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  • Communing with the Dead

    Posted on June 16, 2026 - by Sara Striefel

    There is a phone booth in the middle of the desert in Joshua Tree. It was installed by Colin Campbell and Gail Lerner in honor of their two children, Ruby and Hart, who died in a 2019 car crash. It lives out there amid the tall cholla cacti and the wind that sweeps circles into the salt and sand. I have been thinking about this telephone lately, of how few spaces we have to offload our grief.   In her book, Motherless Daughters: The Legacy of Loss, Hope Edelman offers a handful of events that she believes have the potential to change […]

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  • The Quiet Work of Healing After Loss

    Posted on June 2, 2026 - by Ilana Estelle

    Grief Changes You – Awareness Helps You to Rebuild Loss changes you. It’s natural to feel lonely and unsure when someone important is no longer there. When depression that follows loss is part of the picture, everything can feel heavier and harder to move through. For a long time, that weight can feel constant – like you’re moving through fog. Separation can also create a space you don’t recognize, but it can also help you see yourself without old patterns or expectations. That distance can feel uncomfortable at first, but it is often where something begins to shift. You start […]

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  • The Eternal Bond: Daughters Honor Their Mothers On The Other Side

    Posted on April 4, 2026 - by lightdoc

    Death is the eternal mystery, a mystery that fills our souls with both awe and terror. The consequences of the death of one’s mother is not like any other ordeal in life. Daughters are often faced with resurrecting a new life without a road map, catapulted upon the ruins that remain, while enduring indescribable emotional pain. Based on my experience of my mother’s death, and the shared narratives with other daughters, I have spoken with, this journey is both courageous and terrifying.  You will regain your balance, but you will not be the same person. I have never surrendered my […]

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  • What Does The Research Tell Us About Grief?

    Posted on March 19, 2026 - by lightdoc

    Grief is part of the human experience; however, the grief of daughters whose mothers have died is significantly different than other losses. Research is needed that does not quantify or reduce the suffering women experience to only numerical findings, but includes tools for grief empowerment. According to the National Alliance on Caregiving, over 53 million baby boomers are now caring for their ailing parents, and 61 percent of caregivers are women caring for a female relative, most likely their mothers. Because caregiving is considered a “woman’s job” (i.e., unpaid), women often suffer emotionally and financially from what is referred to […]

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  • How To Understand Grief Visions: They Really Are Common

    Posted on March 4, 2026 - by lightdoc

    Grief is part of the human experience; however, the grief of daughters whose mothers have died is particularly significant, especially for older women who were often caretakers during their mother’s end of life.  The components of grief differ widely, and you are the expert on how to navigate this challenging yet sacred journey.  It is important as part of this difficult and often lifelong journey to understand that grief is not limited to ordinary dimensions and that the metaphysical dimension that may often occur after a loved one has passed away may include inner knowing, visions, and dreams.  Often, grievers […]

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  • Memories and Messages. Merry Christmas from the Other Side

    Posted on January 3, 2026 - by Veronica Crawford

    Christmas had always been a special time for me. The anticipation of Christmas day – decorating the tree and house, buying presents, beautiful food and spending time with family. But over time, Christmas has lost its sparkle. While I still appreciate the day with people I love – it no longer holds the same energy as years before. The excitement has been replaced more with a time for reflection and a longing for times gone by. Grief has woven her darkness through the tapestry of life with my brother Carl’s passing after a car accident, precious pets transitioning, and long-term […]

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  • More Than Just A Dream

    Posted on November 3, 2025 - by Dolores Cruz

    We all dream, though some people say they don’t remember their dreams. Some dreams are pleasant, some are strange, and some are scary. Some are crystal clear, and some are so nebulous that it’s hard to even explain them in words. Some make you wonder what that dream was all about, or if there was any kind of message in there somewhere for you.   But what if a dream of your loved one who has passed away is so clear and tangible that you could swear it was really them?   I have heard about these kinds of dreams […]

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  • GRIEF AS A PORTAL TO YOUR LOVED ONE

    Posted on October 16, 2025 - by susanbroara

    The process of transitioning from this realm into another is an experience that you, as the living counterpart, have the honor to participate in and witness. Transitions take place through energy portals. A portal can be described as a way in. As your loved one crossed over, they entered a portal into the spiritual realm specific to them. Your grief holds the opposite portal. Portals exist as gateways and passageways between dimensions that allow Spirits to maneuver in and out of the alternate worlds. These are parallel universes, which exist side by side, and, because these portals have opened, the […]

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  • Carl’s Magpies-Messages from the Afterlife

    Posted on September 15, 2025 - by Veronica Crawford

    Before losing my brother Carl after a car accident, I had always believed that when we died, that was it, the end of our journey. And in the early stages of grief, it was a dark time – to think that Carl was gone and I would never see him again. After Carl’s funeral, we were faced with the daunting task of collecting his belongings. Carl’s friends were amazing and provided support beyond what we could ever have expected. They brought their trucks and trailers and helped us pack everything he owned. Words can’t convey the surreal, gut-wrenching feeling of […]

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  • grief and hope

    My Run-in with the Divine

    Posted on June 16, 2025 - by Heidi Gessner

    My Run-in with the Divine As I drove teary-eyed in the twilight, I panicked, how in the world did I wind up here? How did my life end up like this? This wasn’t how I imagined my life would be when I was younger. In that very instant, I had an incredibly intense feeling that someone was in my car with me. So much so, that I whipped my head around to look in the back seat to see who was there. Of course, I was alone, but also, not-alone. I sensed something or someone with me — intangible, yet […]

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  • medical intuition spiritual connections

    Connecting with Departed Loved Ones

    Posted on February 25, 2025 - by Gloria Horsley

    In a compelling discussion on the Open to Hope podcast, hosts Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Heidi Horsley welcomed Julie Ryan, a psychic medium and medical intuitive, to explore the fascinating world of spirit communication and the transition between life and death. Ryan, who combines her background as a surgical device inventor with her spiritual abilities, shared insights into how people can connect with departed loved ones and understand the process of transitioning to the afterlife. From Business to Spiritual Practice Ryan’s journey into the spiritual realm began thirty years ago when she discovered Carolyn Mace’s book “Anatomy of the […]

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  • Coming Back from the ‘Afterlife’

    Posted on August 12, 2024 - by Kim Pierce

    PAST THE VEIL In an earlier Open to Hope essay, I wrote about the gripping After-Death experience of a friend I call Chief. The anesthesiologist had a heart attack 60 feet underwater while scuba diving in 2007 and, by all measures, was clinically dead. (That’s why he insisted on calling it an After-Death experience.) Chief wanted to write a book about this but crossed over to stay in 2021 before he could finish. He did get as far as drafting a manuscript, which he shared with me because I also wrote a book about the Afterlife (My Dead True Love). […]

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    Episode 241: It Is Never Too Late to Grieve

    Posted on June 30, 2025 - by admin

    Join Dr. Gloria and Heidi Horsley as they discuss experiencing the sudden death of a loved one. Guests Lynn Shattuck, co-editor of The Loss of a Lifetime; Grieving Siblings Share Stories of Love, Loss and Hope, and Susan Casey, licensed Mental Health Clinician and contributor to the book, will share their insights.  

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  • Episode 237: Nurturing Hope in Grieving Kids

    Posted on December 22, 2024 - by admin

    How do we nurture hope in grieving kids? Join hosts Dr. Gloria Horsley and her daughter Dr. Heidi Horsley with their guests; Dr. Korie Leigh, Julie Ryan, Dr. Liza Barros-Lane, and Kate Mollison to candidly discuss how to help grieving children. Dr. Korie Leigh is an Associate Professor and Program Director at Marian University, and serves on the Board of Directors for the Heros’ Path Palliative Care. She is the author of, It Won’t Ever Be the Same; A Teens Guide to Grief and Grieving, and What Does Grief Look Like? Julie Ryan is a Medical Intuitive. She is the […]

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  • Episode 235: Navigating Loss

    Posted on December 20, 2024 - by admin

    Losses are complicated, how do we navigate them?  Join hosts Dr. Gloria Horsley and her daughter Dr. Heidi Horsley and their guests; Julie Ryan, Sarah Voleman and Dr. Korie Leigh to talk about navigating loss. Julie Ryan is a Medical Intuitive. She is the author of, Angelic Attendants: What Really Happens As We Transition From This Life Into The Next, and Angel Messages, picture books answering kids’ tough questions. Julie hosts the “Ask Julie Ryan” show which is heard by millions worldwide. Sarah Voleman is a board certified art therapist and a licensed social worker.  She is a faculty member […]

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