Guidance Through Grief Counseling Center, PLLC

10/17/2024

A meditation for processing grief and tragedy, from Headspace.

Support the body in coming back to a place of balance and harmony after a tragic event, shifting focus from the parts that feel overwhelmed to the parts that...

10/16/2024

Mary Oliver perfectly captures how important it is to befriend our grief, which feels so timely right now in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

Love Sorrow

Love sorrow. She is yours now, and you must
take care of what has been
given. Brush her hair, help her
into her little coat, hold her hand,
especially when crossing a street. For, think,

what if you should lose her? Then you would be
sorrow yourself; her drawn face, her sleeplessness
would be yours. Take care, touch
her forehead that she feel herself not so

utterly alone. And smile, that she does not
altogether forget the world before the lesson.
Have patience in abundance. And do not
ever lie or ever leave her even for a moment

by herself, which is to say, possibly, again,
abandoned. She is strange, mute, difficult,
sometimes unmanageable but, remember, she is a child.
And amazing things can happen. And you may see,

as the two of you go
walking together in the morning light, how
little by little she relaxes; she looks about her;
she begins to grow.
- Mary Oliver

10/08/2024

The emotional lifecycle of a disaster. Be prepared for some lows, normalize the lows as part of the grief related to the disaster. AND savor the glimmers. Seek community and help (see other post on listening circles). ❤️

Disasters and mass disruptive events can be extremely unpredictable and chaotic. Even though that is a valid characterization of catastrophe, disaster expe...

10/08/2024

Great source of community support in Hurricane Helene aftermath.

With everything happening in western NC, our community needs connection and healing more than ever. Listening Circles are a chance to come together, share how you are doing, and highlight who or what is helping. Led by RFR Resiliency Partners, these trauma-informed and resiliency-focused sessions offer practical tools to help with the overwhelm and stress, right now. You’re not alone—join us, and we’ll get through this together.

Where: Drop in on Zoom at https://bit.ly/WNCListens or call 646-876-9923 (meeting ID 847 0135 3002)

When: 12-1 PM EST, every day through October 18

We're working on setting up in-person sessions to support those impacted by Hurricane Helene, including first responders and relief volunteers. Please consider donating to help sustain local Listening Circles as we rebuild together: https://bit.ly/SUPPORTRFR or text SUPPORTRFR to 44-321.

10/05/2024

Pro bono crisis counseling available for people uninsured and impacted by Hurricane Helene - also BCBS, Aetna, Medicare, United, Cigna accepted. Email lizanderson@drlizanderson.com

10/03/2024

For those of you impacted by the Hurricane Helene disaster (or any other), it is likely that you and those that you love are struggling with emotional regulation in this crisis. I'm posting a few tips below.

Calming the Nervous System:
Intense exercise- short periods fine. The body thinks it’s getting chased by a tiger and is pumping you full of adrenaline and it needs to get out. You decide the intensity.
Breathing- deep breathing is a good hack for the nervous system to settle. Make a diamond shape with hands and put it on your belly and focus on feeling belly go up and down. You want to breath from the belly, not the chest.
Grounding Exercises: Name 5 things you can see, 4 things you can feel, 3 things you can hear, 2 things that you smell, 1 thing you can taste. This helps us focus on the present tense.
Schedule- Creating schedule and routine is helpful. Make one every day, even if you don’t stick to it.
Limit social media- excessive exposure to images of disaster is not helpful to stress response system and takes us away from doing the things that we, and our community.
Notice unhelpful thoughts and try to shift to more helpful thoughts. Think about “Bad Coach” vs “Good Coach.” Bad coaches say things like “This will never get any better! You should have tried harder!” Whereas good coaches say “This is really hard, and you are doing it! You are doing the best you can with what you've got in the moment."

Please reach out if I can be a resource for you! lizanderson@drlizanderson.com; 828-357-7388.

09/14/2024

Therapist and Counselors: The Social Work Hospice and Palliative Care Network (SWHPN) offers many educational opportunities. This week my colleague Bridget Sumser and I are presenting on Professional Grief.

Join us for an interactive session where you'll learn to identify the signs and symptoms of professional grief experienced by those working with individuals facing serious illness. We'll explore st...

09/14/2024

There’s so much correction inside grief, it can be hard to feel that anything is helpful.

it’s important to know that most things offered as “support” in our culture are really designed to solve problems or to get you out of pain. If it feels wrong to you, it is.

Grief is not a problem to be solved; it’s an experience to be carried.

The work here is to find — and receive — support and comfort that help you live with your reality.

Companionship, not correction, is the way forward.

If you’re grieving, I recommend joining my monthly grief support group call, where you can get answers to your questions about grief and learn what to say to people who just. don't. get. it.

Go to https://www.patreon.com/megandevine and sign up at the $10 level to get immediate access to our upcoming calls and recordings all of our previous Q&A sessions.

Visit refugeingrief.com for grief support that won't judge, dismiss, or correct how you feel.

For our support people: visit refugeingrief.com for lots of resources on how to give the support you truly intend.

06/08/2024

Excited to announce location change to Candler, NC (just outside of Asheville) with beautiful windows! Only 2 miles from I40.

03/29/2024

For those of you who have lost a mother...

The Night Where You No Longer Live
BY MEGHAN O'ROURKE

Was it like lifting a veil
And was the grass treacherous, the green grass

Did you think of your own mother

Was it like a virus
Did the software flicker

And was this the beginning
Was it like that

Was there gas station food
and was it a long trip

And is there sun there
or drones
or punishment
or growth

Was it a blackout

And did you still create me
And what was I like on the first day of my life

Were we two from the start
And was our time an entrance
or an ending

Did we stand in the heated room
Did we look at the painting

Did the snow appear cold
Were our feet red with it, with the wet snow

And then what were our names
Did you love me or did I misunderstand

Is it terrible

Do you intend to come back

Do you hear the world’s keening

Will you stay the night

03/26/2024

Beautiful Meditation by Roshi Joan Halifax "Encountering Grief"

The Zen abbot walks a live audience through this guided meditation on encountering grief.

03/18/2024

Grief is a normal reaction to loss, but grief can feel unbearable.

What is grief counseling?

Grief counseling provides people with a safe place to process the losses that are often difficult to discuss, even with loved ones. Our thoughts and belief systems can influence how we experience grief, and grief counseling can help give insight into unrealistic and unhelpful thoughts and beliefs that can be shifted. Grief can throw off our stress-response systems, and grief counseling can help us better regulate those systems. Grief can trigger old wounds, and grief counseling can work on healing those wounds.

Interested in working through your grief? We would love to help!

In person appointments in Asheville, NC.
Telehealth appointments anywhere in NC.

https://www.guidancethroughgriefcounseling.com/
lizanderson@drlizanderson.com
828-357-7388

Guidance Through Grief Counseling Center, PLLC