In chapter five of Dina’s book, we’re looking at the gifts that come out of embodying our grief, of healing the wounds in a healthy way. I found this chapter a wonderful way of pulling together all the threads of learning in this book. In fact, the invited homework from the previous chapter on continuing bonds helped me with this too. 

The notion of post traumatic growth is a centrepiece of this chapter, and it is a much-overlooked reality of our effectively growing through our grief from a loss. This idea spotlights all the ways in which we as people grow stronger, learn more about ourselves, develop resilience and insight by experiencing grief and big life losses. All this helps us as we become our future selves. Or as Dina puts it “… post traumatic growth… describes the positive psychological change that is experienced as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life occurrences.” The gifts of grief are many, sometimes simple, others profound. But always nurturing to us as we move forward into tomorrow.

Invitations:

Out of each episode this season, we are offering people ways to increase their grief literacy. This month, we’re offering an invitation to you to explore one of the seven growth opportunities coming out of grief that Dina outlined for us from the literature. How have you experienced flourishing coming out of a loss experience you have had? And how has this affected your life?

In the meanwhile, feedback is welcome, so please drop us a note at [email protected].

Episode Links:

Chapman Coaching Inc.

Dina’s company is Grief Unleashed

Dina’s book, “Grief Unleashed: Moving from the hole in our hearts to whole-hearted” can be purchased through her publisher or at Singing Pebble Bookstore in Ottawa

She read us the poem “Hands of a Woman,” the wonderful BC poet Caroline Miskenack

An article from Karl Abrecht on the five basic human fears

Royalty free music is called Sunday Stroll – by Huma-Huma