11/29/2025
PTSD in Grief: When the Past Won’t Stay Quiet
People often think PTSD only comes from war, accidents, or violence.
But many grieving parents quietly live with a form of PTSD every single day.
It shows up in ways we don’t expect.
A sound.
A date.
A song.
A place we used to go with our child.
Something small happens, and suddenly our heart is racing… our chest tightens… our body feels like something terrible is happening right now, even though the world around us hasn’t changed.
This is the part of grief people don’t talk about.
PTSD in grief isn’t “living in the past.”
It’s your nervous system remembering the moment everything shattered.
It’s the replaying of the phone call.
The hospital room.
The last hug.
The details you never asked to remember but can’t seem to forget.
And it is not a sign of weakness.
It is a sign of love so deep that your body still feels the impact of losing your child.
If this is you, hear me:
You are not broken.
Your mind is not failing.
You are reacting the way a heart reacts when it’s been traumatized.
You can heal.
Slowly. Gently. In your own time.
Take deep breaths.
Ground yourself in the present moment.
Reach out when the memories feel too heavy.
Let someone say your child’s name.
And allow yourself to feel what you feel without apology.
Grief can look like PTSD, and PTSD can live inside grief, but neither defines who you are.
You are a warrior of the heart.
You are surviving the unimaginable.
And you, dear mama, are not alone.
