MSI Press Blog

  excerpt from Harnessing the Power of Grief (Potter) Introduction Grief, the process by which we adjust to the losses in our lives, is often one of the most devastating and life-changing experiences in a human being’s life. Like all who have come before us, each of us will suffer important losses and will experience grief. A fraction of us will experience complicated grief and will benefit from professional help. Treatment of complicated grief is beyond the scope of this book, as discussed below. Most of us will experience normal grief, still very difficult, but manageable without professional help. In time, with our inner and outer resources, we will make a satisfactory adjustment to our loss. How do we do this? We harness the power of grief, and that is the subject of this book. In my career, I coordinated a hospital-based wellness program including a spousal bereavement program. Volunteers, who themselves had been widowed for at least two years, provided help and support ...

  Grief arrives in many costumes. Sometimes it looks like the death of someone we love. Sometimes it’s the quiet ending of a friendship, the loss of a dream, the collapse of a season of life, or the slow erosion of a version of ourselves we thought would last forever. Whatever form it takes, grief is a universal human experience—and yet it never feels universal when you’re inside it. It feels personal, disorienting, and strangely private. Healing from grief isn’t about “getting over” anything. It’s about learning to live with what changed, and discovering who you are now. Here are some ways people can begin that process, no matter the type of loss. 1. Name the Loss Clearly Grief becomes heavier when it’s vague. Naming the exact thing you lost— the role you played, the future you imagined, the daily rhythm that disappeared —helps your mind understand what it’s trying to heal. Often the grief isn’t only about the event; it’s about the identity tied to it. 2. Let Your Body Participate...