The Mindfulness & Grief Podcast

The death of a brother or sister can be devastating, but all too often it goes unacknowledged or at least minimized. Social cues direct bereaved siblings to "be strong for your parents," but how can you be strong when your world is shattered by loss? Heidi Horsley is no stranger to this kind of pain. Her brother, Scott, died in an automobile accident, alongside her cousin. This life changing experience inspired her to be a champion for grieving siblings and earn a doctorate in psychology. In this episode of the Mindfulness & Grief Podcast, Heidi shares her story of love and loss and hope, and shares tips and insights to help you cope with sibling loss. She explores the strained parent/child dynamic that often occurs after this type of loss, and why parents might think their surviving children are "over" their grief when they are anything but. Dr. Heidi closes the show with an invitation for grieving siblings to join her in the crusade to shine a light on this disenfranchised grief.

Widows, widowers, and anyone who has lost a partner knows just how hard it is to cope with grief on Valentine's Day. Claudia Coenen, widow and creative grief counselor, shares creative ways to cope with grief and heartache on Valentine's Day, as well as activities and practices to honor and celebrate you love that undeniably very much present. She also shares tips from her upcoming book release, The Creative Toolkit for Working with Grief and Bereavement: A Practitioner’s Guide. Heather Stang's guided meditation, a Journey To Your Heart Center, follows the interview. Both Heather and Claudia hope this special Valentine's Day edition of the Mindfulness & Grief Podcast will bring you some peace.

• Shattered by Grief: Picking up the pieces to become WHOLE again
• The Creative Toolkit for Working with Grief and Bereavement: A Practitioner’s Guide
• Karuna Cards: Creative Ideas to Transform Grief and Difficult Life Transitions
• The Karuna Project: Compassion & Creativity for Grief with Claudia Coenen on the Mindfulness & Grief Podcast

Claudia Coenen became a certified grief counselor after she was widowed suddenly. She focused on creativity in her Masters in Transpersonal Psychology program at Sophia University and holds an Advanced Grief Counseling Certificate from Brooklyn College. Claudia has been certified in Thanatology for 9 years and is now a Fellow in Thanatology, through the Association of Death Education and Counseling.

Claudia’s lifelong experience as a performer and creative person provided her with techniques to process her own grief which in turn led her to help others through expressive modalities. In private practice, Claudia helps bereaved clients find resilience in the midst of their losses - through compassionate presence, creative process, somatic and expressive therapy techniques. While working with dying patients and family members in a hospice program in New Jersey, she developed the Karuna Cards, a deck of creative ideas for grief and difficult life transitions. Claudia presents workshops on Grief, living with illness as well as the use of creativity in counseling. She has delivered in-service training on vicarious trauma in the workplace at conferences, hospice agencies, and mental health clinics.

Claudia is the author of Shattered by Grief: Picking up the pieces to become WHOLE again. Her newest book, The Creative Toolkit for Working with Grief and Bereavement: A Practitioner’s Guide, explores some well-researched grief models and 30 creative activity sheets that can be reproduced to use with bereaved clients.

Richie Pryor's son and namesake, Richard, sadly died in his sleep a few weeks after a family vacation to Hawaii. Naturally, Richie felt great heartache after the loss of his son, but has found a way not only to live again, but to live fully and in honor of his son while helping others find their path through grief and life.

In the 24th episode of the Mindfulness & Grief Podcast, Richie shares his story along with valuable insights about compassion and communication for partners who have lost a child. He reflects on what worked - and what didn't - for himself and his family, and recommends valuable books and community resources for the grieving family.

Richie models how you can develop mental toughness while maintaining a kind heart, and offers ways to refocus your attention and cultivate new meaning in life. He really inspires hope for all of us who are grieving.

• Warriors Of Life by Richie Pryor
• When Bad Things Happen To Good People by Harold Kushner
• 41 Signs of Hope by Dave Kane
• Everything Happens for a Reason: Finding the True Meaning of the Events in Our Lives by Mira Kirshenbaum

Richard Pryor is a Parent Counselor & Author. After losing his son 5 years ago his world ended and he saw no purpose to keep moving forward. He eventually discovered his warrior and found his true self by developing his mental toughness, changing his focus and giving a new meaning to his loss which helped him RISE out of the ASHES of his grief with more love, empathy, compassion and a burning desire to change the world. He then wrote “Warriors Of Life” as his first step in serving the people in the world that have losses in life and struggle with grief. Richard also servers people in prisons, shelter’s, substance abuse clinics to help them find hope and meaning in life, regardless of their situation and provide them with an opportunity to take advantage of second chances in life. He has also created a growing community of educational and coaching programs for parents where he helps them by Serving, Supporting, Inspiring, Empowering and Transforming them so they can discover their WARRIOR, find themselves and Move Forward through any life challenge that they encounter. “We must let go of the life we have planned, so as to accept the one that is waiting for us.”

Let’s face it, the winter holidays can be particularly tough on us when we are grieving. What is supposed to be the happiest time of the year is anything but, as we are constantly reminded that someone is missing. During this episode author and thanatologist Heather Stang shares her favorite tips for coping with grief during the holidays to help you reduce your suffering, weave in the memory of your loved one, and approach this holiday season mindfully.

Pets are not just animals that live in our house, they are our chosen family. When they die it is heartbreaking because we love them so much! The key to surviving the death of our beloved cats and dogs is to first acknowledge that it hurts, and acknowledge that our grief is real and understandable. As with the loss of anyone we love, it is helpful to find ways to honor their memory and the imprint they leave on our heart. In this episode of the Mindfulness & Grief podcast Dave Roberts and I continue the conversation we began in an earlier episode on Pet Loss & Grief. Since then, both Dave and I have both experienced major pet losses, and we discuss the myriad of feelings that pet owners face - from feelings of guilt surrounding euthanasia, wondering how you will survive without your best friend, and even navigating the decision to welcome another furbaby into the house. We also talk about constructive rituals and memorial spaces you can set up to remember your companion animal. For many of us the death of a pet is one of the hardest losses to navigate because of the unconditional love. You are not alone, and I hope this episode will help you like it helped me.