As I Live and Grieve®

Send us some LOVE! Summary: When the symptoms of grief hit us, we would do most anything for relief. This week we are exploring the use of crystals for healing these adverse side effects of loss -- anxiety, depression, anger, sleeplessness, etc. Listen in as Elyse shares her simple method for exploring healing crystals and check below for her very generous offer! Notes: Elyse Falzone is an Intuiti...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: John Polo has captured thoughts in his book, Widowed. Rants, Raves and Random , that most of us feel but are reluctant to utter except when completely alone. This is an episode not to miss -- and a book that is a must for everyone grieving. Notes: John Polo is a coach, author and speaker. In January of 2016, John lost his wife, Michelle, to cancer. From the rubble of ev...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: Losing a sibling is devasting at any age, but when our children are small it adds complexity that challenges the entire family. Listen in today as our guest, Michele Benyo relates her experience as one child battles cancer and another child tries to understand what is happening and what is to happen. Episode Notes: As a family educator, Certified Grief Recovery Speciali...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: Our favorite psychic medium returns to chat about intuition. Many of us eagerly await signs from our loved ones, some smile as they recall a sign they have received. How much is due to our skill level for intuition? Or are signs something everyone is able to look for? Listen in… Episode Notes: Ada May has been a professional Psychic Medium for over a decade and a half w...

Send us some LOVE! Summary Notes: After calling hours are over and those priority tasks are completed, a series of choices arise:  should I remove my wedding band? will people tell me to think about dating? will I still be able to see my step-grandchildren? We call these the nitty gritty parts of grief -- the inevitable choices that keep bringing the reality of your loss into your daily life. Some...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: "Just to the left of death," are the words used by Addison Brasil to describe his experience with grief. Join us today as we discuss this concept, along with his new book, First Year of Grief Club: A Gift From From A Friend Who Gets It   . Bio: Addison Brasil had no intention of becoming a disruptor in the mental health and grief space. While pursuing his drea...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: Have you ever been moving through your day, comfortable, doing just fine, only to be suddenly blindsided by emotions, memories and a debilitating experience resembling a panic attack? If so, you may have just experienced what is becoming known as a STUG (Sudden Temporary Upsurge of Grief). Today's guest, Jack Rainer, shares his knowledge of these frightening episod...

Send us some LOVE! Summary In Grief we experience severe pain of loss, whether due to a death or other loss in life. Listen in today as our guest, Edy Nathan, shares insight and her 11 phases of grief from her book, It’s Grief: The Dance of Self-Discovery Though Trauma and Loss , to help us as we move through our journey in grief. Trauma, abuse, and grief cause the soul to become imbalanced: The g...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: Join Kathy and Stephanie as they chat about some ideas to create lasting memories of your loved ones. Called "forget-me-nots," the opportunities vary from simple photo collages to intricate plasticized sculptures and conversation pieces. "...mementoes become clutter when they no longer bring us pleasure."     ~ Alison Gilbert Contact: www.asiliveandg...

Send us some LOVE! Marjorie Smith, LCSW, visits with us again today to tell us how we should handle those "dreaded" tasks of our grief journey. Handling things like thank-you notes after the funeral, cleaning out the closet of your loved one, what to do with their possessions/memorabilia, and how about those first social events/holiday celebrations after they've passed? Marj graduat...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: Have you wondered why death of someone we love is so hard to believe, and then to accept? Listen in - listen for the analogy of the dining room table. (Despite saying near the beginning of the podcast that we won't reveal it, we do eventually talk about it.) With this seemingly simple explanation, it all made sense. Dr. O'Connor chats with us today about her f...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: Our concept of grief changes completely once we experience it. It can be difficult to find the right words to describe it to friends. Dawn Murphy, we feel, has done just that. In her book, Good Grief! Trekking the Wilderness of  Loss , the use of the word wilderness is perfect. We feel isolated, abandoned, left with resources to even help us find our way. Listen in... E...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: Today's guest, Chelsea Ohlemiller, speaks to us today about her personal journey after the death of her mother in 2017. She turned to writing, and her words can offer you both comfort and encouragement. Listen in... Episode Notes: Chelsea describes herself as a sappy romantic, coffee junkie, book collector, and person who wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s sarcas...

Send us some LOVE! SUMMARY: Dr. Terri Daniel returns to share more information on how religion and spirituality differ, and delves into the perspective of Spiritual But Not Religious (SBNR), the adoption of which has increased significantly in our population. EPISODE NOTES: Dr. Terri Daniel is an interfaith  hospice chaplain, end-of-life educator, and grief counselor certified in death, dying and...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: Join us today as we look back at some of our previous topics, offer thoughts from our own use of some of these concepts, and an update on our knowledge of grief. We have covered a lot of perspectives, recommended some books, offered some activities for our listeners -- and we have lots more coming in the weeks ahead! “Grief, I’ve learned, is really just love. It’s all t...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: Join us as Gary Roe’s guides us through this world gone mad. His new book, Hope in a World Gone Mad , is on the shelves and offers this hope in his gentle, conversational style. He uses our questions and responds easily with scripture and rationale that will renew our faith and offer us comfort, regardless of the reason for our grief. Episode Notes: Gary Roe is the mult...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: We delve deeper into our connections with those departed. Ada May's casual style allows easy conversation and her candid observations in her communications and interactions with spirits and ghosts - a conversation you will not want to miss. Episode Notes: Ada May has been a professional Psychic Medium for over a decade and a half working with individuals both in th...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: Today Dr. Linda Shanti shares her background of Imaginal Psychology and explains this modality for our grief. You may want to consider checking out her group, The Art of Grief, which will help support widows in their grief using expressive arts (e.g. - collage, drawing, journaling, altar making, altered books, etc.). Episode Notes: Linda Shanti McCabe, PsyD is a License...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: Wouldn't it be nice if we could know someone is grieving? In today's conversation we learn a bit more about grief and how to recognize it in both ourselves and others. Episode Notes: Julie Hall holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Economics from New York University, a Master’s in Business Administration from Rutgers University and a Master’s of Science in Marriage...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: When we grieve, we often are recipients of platitudes that we perceive as empty, meaningless and sometimes even cruel. Even some blogs or books we turn to for support may seem superficial and unrealistic. Well, Steve Case has written just the book for those wanting the straight, uncensored reality of Grief,  Hardcore Grief Recovery: An Honest Guide to Getting through Gr...

Send us some LOVE! Summary   One of our favorite episodes, with excellent tips for managing the upcoming holidays as you grieve. Our guest is Gary Roe, who shares with us 8 Tips to Handle Holiday Grief.    Episode Notes:   Gary Roe itemizes his 8 Tips to Handle Holiday Grief and adds his personal experience to help others contemplate their own situations and feel supported and a bit more in contro...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: Self-care is vital when you are grieving. Today we chat with Lizz Ortolani about yoga and its benefits. Whether grief or just every day routines leave you frantic, worried, anxious, yoga can have a calming and cleansing effect and ease physical, mental and emotional issues. Lizz offers her personal experience both as a participant and as a teacher and even helps us find...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: The relationship between siblings can often be dynamic and filled with ups and downs. Yet to lose a sibling through death, especially a sudden loss, may lead to unanticipated overwhelming grief that refuses to abate. Listen to our guest, Alyse Oram, as she relates her grief journey that started in 2016 with the loss of a childhood friend, then her younger brother six mo...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: Losing a spouse is devastating, losing two is, for many, incomprehensible. Shifting roles in parenting, maintaining routine for your children, and moving through grief is shared candidly by our guest today, James LaVeck. Episode Notes: James LaVeck was widowed twice before he was 48.  He first started writing about his loss and grief in 1997, but it was the death of his...

Send us some LOVE! Summary: It is routine for a priest to face grief within their congregation, yet quite another to face the devastating grief that comes with the loss of ones own child, an infant. Today we chat with Rev. Liz Tichenor, author of The Night Lake, a chronicle of her personal journey with grief upon the loss of her five -week-old son. Episode Notes: Liz Tichenor is an Episcopal pries...