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Articles:

Grieving at Holiday Times

As we approach the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays each year, our senses are heightened and memories of past celebrations flood our consciousness. Most of us can remember that, as children, we celebrated traditions with members of our extended family, many of whom we may have seen only at these joyous holiday times.

The End of a Life

Imagine the opening and closing of an oak roll top desk representing the opening and closing of life. If there is only one time to leave a first impression then there is only one time to leave a last impression. Spiritual leadership guides the memory of the final imprint of the breath of life. Religion, an instrument of spirituality, reflects grief?s rights to closure at the end of a life?s journey. The dead do not require clergy to pray or hear their final thoughts. Clergy respond in the time of loss to offer guidance, prayer, and grief counseling to the […]

Resolution

Resolution by Pien Ris, MIM 19 From now on I will only speak with my own voice. Learn how to use it, in integrity with my self. Can only be found with very long introspection preceding formation of words. For many, silence is the only option. Listen to the tapes that run ahead of your intention. Who are you? Today. Wiggle silence out of your throat. Communicate wordlessly more, suspend inner talk, self talk, voices, space it out. Stretch time while retrieving self information. Stress had brought you into the out field. Learn about who you are, scroll through your […]

Siblings & Parents: Branching Out to Heal

Dr. Heidi Horsley from the Family Guidance Program has been conducting workshops and discussions on sibling loss. Here is a recent article from issue 111 of TheLink newsletter of the FDNY-CSU. SIBLINGS & PARENTS: Branching Out to Heal Helping to create healing partnerships has been central to the CSU?s response to the attacks of 9/11. At recent events, both parents and siblings connected with experts who offered new strategies to help them look ahead to the future. On the evening of July 13, it may have been brutally hot outside but inside the CSU space at 594 Broadway, 19 parents […]

Are We All Losers? Understanding Grief

The well-known pioneer researcher Dr. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identified five states through which the dying patient goes. It is also true that the recently bereaved and the about to be bereaved evidence the same stages. Kubler Ross has labeled the 5 stages denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. People do not necessarily go through these stages in any set order or over a set length of time, nor

Men and Grief

Men grieve differently from women. Our cultural roles make it difficult for men to look for support, and harder again to accept it. Men are so often silent, solitary mourners who immerse themselves in activity and private, symbolic rituals. They feel profoundly, but often can’t express the depth of their loss.

Terminal Illness- Death and Grief

No one likes to think about illness and death, when we are well, we feel invincible and there is nothing that can prepare us for the shock and devastation of a terminal diagnosis. The knowledge that we can no longer take our lives or the lives we share with our loved ones for granted takes away our ability to plan for the future and removes hope from our lives. When a loved one becomes terminally ill, we grieve in anticipation of their death, we grieve for the loss of them in our lives and we grieve for our own mortality.

Grief and Loss: Another Perspective

Grief and loss is a multifaceted counselling field based on the loss of someone or something. “Grief is our response to loss, particularly the death of a loved one. Grief can affect our thoughts, feelings, behaviours and beliefs, and our relationships with others. Many people experience feelings of sadness and anxiety. The experience of grief can sometimes feel wave-like; a person may feel that their grief is behind

Dealing With Grief and Loss – How to Mend a Broken Heart

What is it about Grief & Loss that upsets us so much? Is it the heavy duty emoting that we have to do to get through our suffering? Is it the fear we have about opening ourselves to all this pain? Because, let?s face it, it?s hard down there, in the land of grieving where all those emotions toss us around like a cork on a stormy sea.

Grief Assistance: Things That Shoud Never Be Said

When we lose a loved one to death, it seems like everyone has a word to share. Regardless of the circumstances or the difficulty of the loss, each person has a perspective on what can be said that is helpful. Unfortunately, sometimes things are said with good intentions that actually prove unhelpful. Sometimes words can even prove harmful. Though sincere, some things should never be said to a person grieving over the loss of a loved one or close friend. Some common things that are better not said include the following statements. They are better off. This ignores the person’s […]

Open to Hope is an online community offering inspirational stories of loss, hope and recovery. We believe hope is the bridge between loss and recovery.