Shapes Of Grief

This week I speak to Dr Kathryn Mannix, palliative care pioneer, about the dying process. Like birth, there are certain stages of death which Kathryn hopes to demystify in her book ‘With the End in Mind’. Kathryn does a wonderful job in normalising this process which we all face and looks at how we can take the fear out of this natural and inevitable stage of life. Kathryn oozes compassion and hum...

In this conversation with Liz, Hayley speaks about the multiple miscarriages that she experienced, the devastating decision that herself and husband Charlie had to make when they found out that their baby had Turner's Syndrome and how, after four miscarriages and a medical termination, she continues to try to find the balance between loss and hope.  Miscarriage remains a taboo subject and if...

Dr Helen Greally is a psycho-oncologist with Cancer Care West. Helen has over forty years experience working with people through grief and loss, following diagnosis. Her PhD focused on spousal bereavement and she has collected a host of grief experiences from people of all ages throughout the country. In this episode of Shapes Of Grief, Helen talks about the shock that can come following a difficu...

In 2011, Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds got the knock at the door that no parent ever wants; their 22 year old son Joshua had been killed in a road accident while travelling in Vietnam. From that moment on, their life changed fundamentally, forever. Jane, a psychotherapist & filmmaker and Jimmy, also a filmmaker, embarked on a voyage of active grief during the following years, using their creat...

When Gary’s wife Joy died suddenly in 2017 from sepsis, he turned to his daily practice of doodling to express his grief and help him to process the reality of widowhood and parenting two young, bereft children. The series of heartfelt illustrations soon caught the attention of the public and quickly became a viral sensation.  Liz had the pleasure of speaking with Gary for the Shapes Of Grief...

Robert A. Neimeyer, Ph. D., is a Professor of Psychology, at the University of Memphis, where he also maintains an active clinical practice. Bob is an international speaker on grief and loss, bringing a great wisdom to the field. In this episode of Shapes Of Grief, Bob talks to Liz about how his father's suicide when he was 12 was to shape his later choices.  He talks about why meaning making...

In this episode, Madeleine talks to Liz about three successive family bereavements and how her inability to grieve resulted in significant illness and a near-death experience. Madeleine went on to complete a Masters in Bereavement Studies at the Irish Hospice Foundation in an attempt to better understand and heal her own unresolved losses. Madeleine's story will no doubt resonate deeply with many...

Shapes of Grief had a lovely conversation with Dr. Susan Delaney of the Irish Hospice Foundation. Susan is the bereavement services manager there and has been instrumental in bringing awareness to Prolonged Grief (formerly complicated grief) to Ireland. In this conversation, Susan paints a very clear picture of what grief can look like, what can be involved when we go through grief and how sometim...

Ruth Fitzmaurice's life changed when her husband Simon was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease. In this candid conversation, Ruth shares how, as a mother of five, she coped with Simon's long illness and eventual death through writing and daily immersion in the cold, Irish sea. Ruth speaks with exquisite honesty and generosity about her inner journey living with ongoing loss and how she is finding...

Deirdre takes us through a beautiful story of how her little dog Charlie came into her life, the connection they made and how his presence enhanced her life. Deirdre tells an important message of how our pets become our family, particularly if we are single in the world and how their death can have a truly devastating impact. She describes how her spiritual practice helped her to cope with the los...

Art therapist Emily McCullough talks about the sudden, ambiguous death of her brother when she was sixteen, followed by her father's death a few years later. The suppressed grief, both personal and in the family, would take its toll for many years. Emily talks about how her grief has impacted her adult life, her relationships and her ongoing fear of loss. We talk about how her prolonged grief stil...

Friends for over four decades, when Jack Gleeson's best friend died by suicide, the loss for Jack was huge. In this interview, Jack talks about friendship, love and loss.  About Shapes of Grief: Shapes of Grief is an internationally recognized organization dedicated to enhancing competency around loss, grief and bereavement literacy. Curated by Psychotherapist and grief specialist Liz Gleeson...