Grief is a natural response to loss. It’s what our brains and our bodies do in reaction to the heartbreaking and devastating reality of loss. We humans are extremely resilient, and a vast majority of us will find a way back to living a meaningful life in our own time. Sometimes though, we can get derailed in that natural grieving process and that’s when it may be time to reach out for support. 

Oomph, so you lost something. You lost something or someone that you loved. We often go so fast as a society, we celebrate the successes and wins, and we tend to ignore the pain associated with loss and grief, or put a time limit on it. Especially non-death-related grief and loss. This is an awful reality to endure for someone grieving. Let’s dive into how processing grief may look as a trauma survivor.

In trauma work, I hear this question all the time. Understandably, people want to know why it matters if they grieve the past (or present) or not. Moreover, people worry about being overcome or undone by their grief, should they let it out. This process can be difficult, but grieving is one of the most powerful tools at our disposal to heal childhood wounds and other trauma across the lifespan.