In the months after a person’s spouse has died, some people feel like nothing is changing, like they’re really not healing. That feeling can be deceptive, because for most people their emotional, mental, spiritual and physical states are changing. To illustrate the changes, HOPE group members recently wrote down the word or two that best described their current state of mind. The results…
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Grief Support Groups Serving West Los Angeles, Encino and Agoura Hills
Grief Support Groups Serving West Los Angeles, Encino and Agoura Hills
Groups
HOPE Connection facilitates Parent Loss Groups as well as Spousal Loss Groups. People who have a parent who has recently died often have questions about grieving the loss of a parent. They wonder if a Support Group is beneficial. The following Q&As may be helpful as you grieve the loss of a parent or as you consider joining a Parental Loss Support…
New Beginnings is a group for ongoing support as a place of growth… from grief to growth.
Think back to your time when your spouse died. Imagine seeing your life as if you were sitting in the first row of a movie theatre. It’s too big — you can’t see everything at once. Then after four months, you move from Group 1 to Group 2. Now, imagine moving back five rows in the movie theatre. Your life still looms large on the screen but not quite as large.
What happens to grief that is unattended? Are there symptoms? Does grief still exist if it’s put on hold or does it go away by itself? What do I do with it?
When your loved one dies, grief is a natural process in our bodies that can take many forms. It’s unique to every individual and is affected by so many different factors. “25 Factors That Affect How You Grieve and Heal from the Death of a Loved One” explains many of those factors.
By Jo Christner, Psy.D.
Having had a loved one recently die, every HOPE group member is keenly aware that life can take an unexpected and devastating turn in an instant. In the last couple of weeks, we have all had to deal with another unexpected development: isolation and the temporary cancellation of our weekly in-person support groups. That creates more grief upon grief.
At HOPE Connection, we have a tradition that we encourage every group member to participate in. It is the simple act of saying goodbye to other group members and the group therapist when a member moves from one group to the next. We continue that tradition when a member graduates from Group Five. The following is a poem that Lynne Goldklang wrote and then read to the entire HOPE Connection community as she said goodbye.
Man’s feelings are always purest and most glowing in the hour of meeting and of farewell — Jean Paul Richter, writer, 1763-1825
At HOPE Connection, we have a tradition that we encourage every group member to participate in. It is the simple act of saying goodbye to other group members and the group therapist when a member moves from one group to the next.
Grief & Humor Because HOPE groups are organized by the number of months since a person’s spouse has died, group members quickly notice one distinct difference between the groups. Group One members are typically quieter, both entering and leaving their group meetings. For good reason, of course — their pain is too raw, the emotions too overwhelming for much social interaction to…
It’s not easy to join a group of strangers, especially when you’re in pain and feeling vulnerable. In a sense, the uncertainty is normal. Don’t these thoughts and feelings sound reasonable? I’m not a group person. I’m different than the people in the group. I don’t want to sit and listen to everyone’s pain! I’m afraid that I’ll cry. I’m a very…
As both a HOPE Connection Therapist and an alumna of HOPE’s support groups, Evelyn has a unique and insightful perspective on grieving, healing and the upcoming holidays, which she shares here. Grief and loneliness brings a feeling of a “hole in my heart’” that cannot easily be bandaged. The connection of loneliness to grief is strong and indeed a profound feeling. It’s…