Alesha L. Packer, MAT, Grief Recovery Specialist

12/09/2021

Fu***ng creep 🤮

Hunter 12/08/21 A Davenport man has been arrested after allegedly exposing himself to a woman at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. 39-year-old Darnell Bonner was at the Emergency Department Sunday at 1pm when he was

10/30/2021

Early in grief, I thought my relationship with the person I'd lost was in the past. With time, I learned a lot about having a relationship with the dead.

10/05/2021

Lang 10/5/21 University of Iowa officials are investigating another alleged sexual assault on campus. UI officials say they received a report of a sexual assault that occurred during the early morning hours on Sunday in an east

09/28/2021

😰

Lang 9/27/21 The Iowa State Patrol is looking for the hit-and-run driver who struck and killed a person believed to have jumped from an Iowa City bridge onto Interstate 80 Monday. The agency released an accident report

06/24/2021

“I can’t be grieving. No one died.” That’s a statement we hear a lot. Society equates grief to death and divorce only. Sadly, that limited definition can keep people stuck in a world of pain when there is a solution.

06/10/2021

😰😰😰

05/19/2020

Many of us are experiencing loss right now. We need the time and space to process it.

04/30/2020

Have you been looking forward to a wedding, prom, graduation, or another milestone that’s been canceled due to COVID-19 and social distancing?

04/13/2020

We are in a dual crisis of physical and mental health. But there are ways to head off breakdowns.

If you struggle with self-harm or suicidal thoughts, you can contact the National Su***de Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or the Crisis Text Line by texting START to 741-741 for free and confidential support.

cc: The New York Times

***de ***dePrevention ***deAwareness ***de ***de

We are in a dual crisis of physical and mental health. But there are ways to head off breakdowns.

03/14/2020

“Scents can bring back the memories we have of loved ones. What is a scent that reminds you of a loved one?”

Can smells hold the key to our memories, and how long can we keep hold of them?

03/13/2020

If you’re grieving the news and the events related to the Coronavirus you’re not alone. Whether you’re sad and confused about why your favorite events have been cancelled, or have been self quarantining for weeks because of possible exposure, make no mistake about it… our country is grieving. How is this grief?

❤️ Grief is the normal and natural emotional reaction to loss of any kind.

❤️ Grief is the conflicting feelings caused by the end of or change in a familiar pattern of behavior.

❤️ One way to describe grief is that it’s like reaching out for something that is familiar, only to find that when we need it one more time, it’s no longer there.

❤️ When we grieve we grieve the loss of unmet hopes, dreams and expectations.

Sounds like those definitions fit what's going on today, don't you think?

If you’re having a hard time concentrating, have low energy, are overindulging in food, alcohol or other short term energy relieving behaviors then you too might be grieving. And that’s okay. It’s normal and natural during this time. Stay tuned for a longer blog post on this topic for you to share with your friends and family, but just know that your feelings are normal and natural and you don’t need to be fixed. There's nothing wrong with you. ❤️

03/12/2020

"Feeling like you'd rather not wake up in the morning is very different than thinking about actually harming yourself."

Megan Devine, founder of Refuge In Grief, describes the feeling of losing the desire to live while grieving and how she worked through those feelings with an accountability partner. They made a vow to each other that no matter how hard it got, they would stay alive.

Please stay alive. If you're feeling like you may harm yourself, please reach out to the National Su***de Prevention Lifeline
at 1-800-273-8255

We've got to talk about something. Lots of grieving people wake up each morning less than happy to be alive. That's not the same thing as feeling suicidal. B...

03/06/2020

If you don’t know what to say to heartbroken parents after the loss of a child it’s not because there’s something wrong with you!

02/20/2020

Just received a phone message from City High - a senior student died by su***de today. Eva and I were able to hug and be sad together. 😓

Everybody Hurts: The State of Mental Health in America is a project of Crisis Text Line. Text CRISIS to 741741 for free, confidential support.

02/18/2020

Changes in sleep or diet, a feeling of powerlessness, and even physical symptoms can all be signs you are suffering with grief.

02/11/2020

A beautiful representation of what therapy can do.

Even just talking to a friend or family member can help. Be patient with yourself. Healing is possible. 💜💙

02/02/2020

"I’m going to tell you something I wish I had the opportunity to tell my son."

01/23/2020

One longtime horror fan on studies being conducted around horror and trauma, and how the genre helped with trauma on a personal level.