Heidi Horsley

Dr. Heidi Horsley is a licensed psychologist, social worker, and bereaved sibling. She co-hosts the award-winning weekly cable television show and podcast, Open to Hope. Dr. Heidi is an Adjunct Professor at Columbia University, and an award-winning author, who has co-authored eight books, and serves on the United Nations Global Mental Health Task Force. She also serves on the Advisory Boards for the Tragedy Assistance Program, the Elisabeth Kubler-Ross Foundation, and Peace of Mind Afghanistan. She served on the National Board of Directors for The Compassionate Friends, and for 10 yrs. worked on a Columbia University research study looking at traumatic loss over time in families who lost a firefighter in the World Trade Center.

Articles:

Grief and Anger: Why You Feel So Angry After Loss (And What Helps)

Grief and anger are uncomfortable companions. Many bereaved people are blindsided by the rage that comes with loss. Here’s why grief produces anger, who that anger often targets, and 7 compassionate ways to work with it instead of being run by it.

Prolonged Grief Disorder: How to Know When Grief Has Become Something More

Prolonged grief disorder is a diagnosable condition in which intense grief persists and disrupts daily life more than a year after a loss. Here’s how it differs from typical grief, who is most at risk, and the treatments that genuinely help.

Grief Brain: Why Loss Makes You Forgetful, Foggy, and Unable to Focus

Grief brain is the very real fog, forgetfulness, and trouble concentrating that follow a major loss. Here’s the science behind why your mind feels broken after grief, and how to be gentle with yourself while it heals.

How Grief Affects Your Physical Health, From Your Heart to Your Immune System

Grief isn’t only emotional — it takes a measurable toll on the body, from the heart to the immune system. Here’s what research reveals about grief’s physical effects and how to protect your health while you mourn.

Anticipatory Grief: How to Cope When You’re Mourning Someone Who Is Still Here

Anticipatory grief is the mourning that begins before a loss has happened, often during a loved one’s serious illness. Here’s why it’s normal, what it feels like, and how caregivers can carry it with more self-compassion.

The Widowhood Effect: How Losing a Spouse Affects Your Own Health

The widowhood effect is the measurable rise in a surviving spouse’s own risk of dying in the months after their partner’s death. Here’s what the research shows, why it happens, and how to protect your health while you grieve.

Sibling Loss: Why Grieving a Brother or Sister Is So Often Overlooked

Sibling loss is one of the most overlooked griefs there is — bereaved siblings are often called the “forgotten mourners.” Here’s why losing a brother or sister cuts so deep, and why your grief deserves to be seen.

The Five Stages of Grief: What Kübler-Ross Really Meant

The five stages of grief are the most famous and most misunderstood model of loss. Here’s where denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance actually came from, and why grief was never meant to be a tidy five-step line.

When Friends Disappear After Your Loss: Why It Happens and What to Do

When friends disappear after a loss, the second wound can hurt almost as much as the first. Why does it happen, and what can you do? Here are 7 compassionate insights for bereaved people whose friend circles changed after the death.

Miscarriage and Pregnancy Loss: Grieving a Baby You Longed For

Miscarriage and pregnancy loss grief is real, profound, and too often suffered in silence. Here’s how common pregnancy loss is, why your grief is valid, and how to find support after losing a baby you longed for.

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.