WHAT IS THE GRIEF RECOVERY METHOD®?
The Grief Recovery Method® is an evidence-based program that has been refined over the past 40 years to help you recover from the pain, isolation, and loneliness caused by loss of any kind. It is the only grief support program in the world that is evidence based, which means there is high confidence that those who follow the actions of the program will find healing and recovery from their pain.
The method is not only intended for people who are grieving as a result of a death or divorce. It is beneficial to anybody who has experienced the pain of unmet hopes, dreams, and expectations in a relationship, who is seeking to let go of the hope that things could have been better or different in the past, who desires to overcome habits of avoidance, numbing, and escapism, who is seeking strategies to identify, express, and process emotions in a healthy way, and anybody who is seeking to be more emotionally available and present in their relationships.
We truly believe that every human being would benefit from participating in The Grief Recovery Method®, regardless of life experiences. It truly provides a road map to emotional healing and recovery from painful losses with supportive guidance every step of the way.
HOW DOES THE GRIEF RECOVERY METHOD® WORK?
The Grief Recovery Method® is a structured program guided by the actions set forth in The Grief Recovery Handbook written by John James and Russell Friedman. The program involves weekly reading and homework assignments to facilitate the healing process. The Grief Recovery Method® can be delivered face-to-face or online.
The first half of the program or discovery, involves deepening your awareness of what grief is, the various losses that have impacted your life, the myths and beliefs about grief that have kept you stuck, and the emotional and behavioural habits that have impacted your healing process. You will gain insight into the subtle and significant ways in which grief has impacted your emotional, psychological, physical, social, and spiritual health.
The second half of the program or recovery, involves deepening your awareness of what emotional incompleteness means, what relationships and experiences carry the weight of incompleteness in your life, and the unresolved emotions causing you to feel stuck and unable to move forward in a healthy and meaningful way. You will learn how to emotionally complete relationships with people who have died, people who have hurt you, or people from whom you are not divorced, estranged, or any other circumstance.
GRIEF RECOVERY METHOD® FORMATS
7-Session 1-on-1 Grief Recovery® Program
Our individual approach to Grief Recovery® will allow you to explore, uncover, and heal your loss(es) at your own pace with the gentle guidance of a trained Grief Recovery Specialist® on our team. We recognize that everyone’s grief healing process is unique and individual, thus, you may require more than 7 sessions to complete the program. Our main priority is your emotional completion of the pain, in a safe and meaningful way.
8-Week Grief Recovery® Support Group
Our 8-week support group will allow you the opportunity to share and connect with other people who have experienced various losses in a safe and non-judgmental environment. This is not a drop-in style group, so weekly attendance of the program is vital for maximum benefit in the healing and recovery process. For more information and to register for an upcoming group click here.
4-week Helping Children Deal With Loss Program
Our 4-week educational series is an opportunity for parents, caregivers, and other significant adults to learn new and effective strategies to help a child who is dealing with loss of any kind and to empower them to develop a lifelong, healthy response to loss. The program is offered in a 1-on-1 and group format to meet your unique needs. For more information and to register for an upcoming group click here.
HOW SOON AFTER LOSS CAN YOU BEGIN TO RECOVER?
Grieving people need and want to feel heard; thus, effective recovery can begin almost immediately.
We tend to create larger-than-life memory pictures in which we either enshrine or bedevil the person who died or the person from whom we are now divorced, estranged, or any other circumstance. This phenomenon increases with time, making it more difficult to discover the truth within our relationships.
You have probably heard that “time heals all wounds”. That piece of misinformation creates the idea that you just have to wait for time to pass in order to feel better. Not only does time not heal, it often compounds the emotional pain. It is not time that heals, but what you do within time that does. Thus, it is never too soon to begin your grief healing journey.
COMMON MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT GRIEF
The Grief Recovery Institute has identified six major myths about grief that are so close to universal that nearly everyone can relate to them. Most of us realize we’ve been influenced by them all our lives but haven’t taken a critical look to see if they’re actually helpful in our healing journey.
Myth #1: Don’t Feel Bad
Even though grief and all of the emotions associated with it are normal and natural, we have been told many times to not feel the way we feel. Feeling bad is a normal response to loss and it is important that we give ourselves permission to feel the full range of our emotions without the need to cover them up or bury them. You have every reason in the world to feel bad if you’ve experienced loss of any kind.
Myth #2: Replace the Loss
Relationships with our family members, spouses, children, friends, and even our beloved pets are not replaceable or interchangeable. We cannot simply replace the loss by getting remarried, having more children, making new friends, or buying a new pet. It is important that you create space for yourself to grieve and complete the relationship that ended, in order to move forward in the healthiest way possible.
Myth #3: Grieve Alone
Many grieving people tend to isolate based on the false idea that “you don’t want to burden others with your feelings.” The most profound truth is that when we get good news, we want to share it with the people in our lives. The same is true when we receive bad news; the first instinct is to tell someone. Communicating the truth about how you feel is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself when you’re grieving.
Myth #4: Time Heals All Wounds
After a loss we often hear things like, “it just takes time” or “time will heal”. These statements give us the false illusion that all we have to do is wait and eventually things will be better. We have met people who have waited 50 years for their pain to go away and 50 years still wasn’t enough. The truth is, time in and of itself does not heal your emotional pain, it is the action you take within time that does.
Myth #5: Be Strong for Others
When we’re grieving, we tend to hide and minimize our painful emotions with the hope that it will provide strength to those around us. The problem of acting strong is that it unintentionally sends a message to others that they too have to be strong. The most helpful thing you can do for others is to be honest. By telling the truth about how you feel, you give permission to others to do the same.
Myth #6: Keep Busy
After a loss, we are often told “just keep busy”. The idea is, if we can distract ourselves in a whirlwind of activity, another day will have passed since the loss, and time can do its job and heal our pain. This often leads to physical and emotional exhaustion and only helps to avoid and skirt our grief. To truly heal from loss, you must be willing to go through the pain in order to move beyond it.