2024-04-01
57 分钟We've been very naive about how complicated grief is in general and how long grief lasts in general.
So to put these stamps and labels on grief is sometimes helpful, and then sometimes it's, you know, we're just finally catching up in some ways, to what grief really just is.
What we need to do is make a little more space for different versions of grief, different time periods for grief, different formulas for grief.
There really isn't a quick fix for it, or a one size fits all.
Have you ever lost someone so close to you that it felt like a piece of your soul was ripped away, like the pain would never end?
Or maybe it wasn't a person, but rather a pet, or a chosen family level friend, or even a job or a community.
Grief, it turns out, is not just about death, it's about loss.
And we all experience it.
No one gets out without it.
When we experience profound loss, it can turn our world completely upside down.
Many of us would give anything to avoid living through such anguish.
But my guest today, Claire Bidwell Smith, argues that hidden within grief is an incredible opportunity for growth and meaning.
And she also dives into why no one in the early part of that journey can or should even be thinking that way.
But over time, it can become something very different, transformative, even.
Claire is a licensed therapist and author of the new book Conscious a Transformative approach to healing from loss.
Recognized as one of todays foremost experts on grief, she strives to provide support for all kinds of people experiencing all kinds of loss, fueled by her own experience losing both parents at a very young age.
In our conversation, Claire shares how fully engaging with your grief and leaning into pain rather than avoiding it can lead to deep personal transformation.
She explains the five different types of grief that we all face, which I had actually never heard of before, and it gave me a powerful reframe from the expected loss of a loved one to the unexpected grief that comes from a major life change, or more ambiguous or complicated losses that you feel deeply but others cant see.
She offers insights into how to healthily process complicated grief when relationships are less than perfect.
And we also discussed the importance of grief rituals and finding community, as well as carrying your lost loved ones with you through embodying their legacy.