“Healing Grief… Moment by Moment” is a podcast created and produced by HOPE Connection. In each short episode Dr. Jo Christner or another HOPE Connection therapist offers a meditative exploration of a different aspect of grief and the healing process. As you listen, we wish you love, light and comfort. This episode: “Grieving Alone” (April 2025) — Jo Christner, Psy.D.
Community – what does that mean to you? Where do you belong? In grief, we often feel that we don’t belong anymore.
Being part of a community is something that begins when we are born… into the community of family. Throughout life, we join different “communities” and groups, including schools, churches, temples, clubs, circles of friends. We find others to grow with and to learn about life with. They protect us and challenge us.
In grief, they witness our grief and create a warm and safe place to grieve, feel, learn and grow. They help to nurture our hurting and lonely hearts. Together you learn how to heal through grief into your changed life.
Robert Frost once said:
All those who try to go it sole alone
Too proud to be beholden for relief
Are absolutely sure to come to grief.
Alone… so many people choose to go through their grief alone, sometimes it’s by choice for many reasons… and sometimes because they don’t know where their grief will be understood and gently held… so they grieve silently and alone.
Grieving is painful… and can be very lonely. Going it alone makes it harder and lonelier.
In Martha Hickman’s amazing book, Healing After Loss, Daily Meditations for Working Through Grief, she tells a very poignant story that goes like this:
There is a story of a little girl who got home from visiting her friend later than her mother expected. When her mother asked the reason for the delay, the child said, “I was helping Jane. Her doll broke.”
The mother asked, “Did you help her fix it?”
The child said, “No, I helped her to cry.”
Some people cry on the outside… and some people to cry on the inside… but we all need others to help us cry.
As we heal through our grief together, they also help us to find our laughter again.
Our group communities are waiting for you… to grieve and to heal… together.
You’re welcome and invited to Belong again.