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Loss, Bereavement and Robin Williams

Posted on August 13, 2014 - by Sheri Perl

I have been a Robin Williams fan since he appeared on television as the funny alien in Mork and Mindy, “Na Nu, Na Nu.” As the years went on, I came to see that there was a deep and sensitive side to Robin, because it came through his work and yet I, like many of you, was unaware of the depth of his suffering. I began exploring the spirit realm when I was 20, and an amazing spiritual healing experience with the late British spiritual healer Harry Edwards, woke me up to the presence of an invisible realm. From that […]

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Sleeping Habits After a Child’s Death

Posted on August 13, 2014 - by Sandy Fox

by Sandy Fox Has your sleep pattern changed since the death of your child? Do you wake up every few hours? Do you toss and turn for hours trying to get to sleep? Do certain dreams wake you up, particularly if your child is in them and you can’t get back to sleep? Do you get enough sleep or do you get too much sleep? Do you fit any of these patterns? I asked many bereaved parents what they do at night if any of these situations fit them. Hopefully, some ideas from others may work for you. Zoey: Many […]

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Robin Williams’ Legacy: Opening a Conversation about Suicide

Posted on August 12, 2014 - by Nina Bennett

Robin Williams was brilliant, and his death leaves a void that does not and cannot make sense to anybody but him. Williams talked openly about his addiction issues and struggle with depression. Perhaps part of his legacy will be opening these difficult conversations about taboo topics-mental health and suicide. It would be an honor to him if sincere, honest conversations took place.  

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Robin Williams’ Suicide Brings Back Difficult Memories

Posted on August 12, 2014 - by Lisa Khuraibet

The headlines scream, “Coroner: Robin Williams Death Ruled Suicide by Asphyxiation.” I suppose there’s a bit of a morbid fascination that comes from the death of a celebrity; particularly when the celebrity is young or dies in a particularly salacious way. Robin Williams’ death is one of those. He was both young and his death was by his own hand, a death which carries with it a certain stigma. Undoubtedly, the public is questioning how one who was such a comedic genius could fall victim to a depression so deep that he could commit suicide? And yet, he was more […]

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Robin Williams’ Death: When Living is Hard

Posted on August 12, 2014 - by Julie Nierenberg

Robin Williams’ apparent death by suicide is especially hard for me to fathom. His jocular, insightful, heart-warming and spirit-lifting public presence brought much joy to my life. His creative expressions of talent and spontaneity inspired many throughout the world to bring forth their own unique artistic abilities. Robin had a profound influence on our society’s evolving sense of humor and on the art of being an artist. And he took that art to many new frontiers and extremes. “Robin, we love you and your many gifts. You will be missed.” Suicide. Bummer. What am I going to do about it? […]

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Message of Robin Williams’ Death: Mental Illness Can Kill

Posted on August 12, 2014 - by Marilyn Burns

Robin Williams got the world’s attention by making us belly laugh. He was also able to bring tears to our eyes by the meaningful messages he would leave us in a profound line of a movie or a conclusion of a stand-up comedy act. Now that our country is in a crisis due to drug-related deaths, he is leaving us with a message that mental illness, drug addiction, and alcoholism must be taken seriously because they can kill you. This death is untimely for Robin and his family. However, it is timely for those fighting for their lives. My son […]

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Honoring Robin Williams

Posted on August 11, 2014 - by Tambre Leighn

Experiencing sadness or grief can come from feeling that something is missing, something has been lost. When you think about someone now gone who inspired you, made a difference in your life – or, like Robin Williams, someone who made you laugh – ask what qualities of that person you can embrace. Perhaps it is Robin’s compassion, his humor, his creativity, or his spontaneity. Choose the quality you most admire and now ask: How can I bring that into my life more each day in honor of him and to make the world a better place? This, I believe, is […]

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Looking Back – From the Moon!

Posted on August 11, 2014 - by Charles W. Sidoti

This article is an excerpt from Living at God’s Speed, Healing in God’s Time. One of the most enlightening films I have ever seen is Ron Howard’s 2007 documentary In the Shadow of the Moon.  In the film, Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell reflects upon his amazing experience of looking back at the Earth while orbiting the moon.  Lovell explains how, as he looked out the window of the spaceship and raised his hand in front of his face, the Earth appeared so small that he was able to block it out completely behind his thumb.  What a perspective!  I have done […]

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Peanut Gallery, a Documentary: Interview with Molly Gandour

Posted on August 6, 2014 - by Gloria Horsley

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling) conference, I spoke with Molly Gandour about her documentary ‘Peanut Gallery’. Her film explores the death of her sister and how she and her parents just recently learned to talk about it. Molly went home to Indiana a few years ago, where she grew up, to speak with her parents for the first time about the death of her sister. Molly was just 10 years old when her sister died, and she and her parents had never really spoken about it. Molly’s film is a story of her family learning […]

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Is There a Right Way to Heal? An Interview with Dr. Phyllis Kosminsky

Posted on August 6, 2014 - by Gloria Horsley

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling) conference, I spoke with Dr. Phyllis Kosminsky about healing after loss and what is the right way to heal. Phyllis has written a book called Getting Back To Life When Grief Won’t Heal. She wrote the book because a lot of people were asking her if they were grieving in the right way. There’s a lot of talk about moving through the stages of grief. This leads some people to question whether or not they’re doing something wrong, because they might have gone through the grieving process and ended up right […]

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