What is grief? Grief is deep emotional distress caused by a significant loss – in most cases, a death, but it can also be the end of a relationship, the loss of a job, or moving away from familiar surroundings.

Some of the physical signs of grief include deep sadness, shock, numbness, panic, guilt, anger and loneliness.  This can then affect sleep, create low energy, a lack of appetite and a general loss of interest, motivation and a desire to withdraw.

Grief is a trauma that affects the nervous system and mental and physical health.  It can impact how you behave and how you interact with people going forward.  It can cause confusion, difficulty concentrating or planning for the future.

I was watching an interview with the actor Andrew Garfield the other day, in which he talked about grief as unexpressed love. There is no grieving without love – otherwise it’s just empathy. Love endures for the living. It stays with you, and it’s a quiet, personal love that continues and lives on. Andrew Garfield was talking about his mother and how he uses his creativity and art to sing her unfinished song – as his personal way to heal.

When I am working with bereaved clients, one theme that comes up a lot is time – the feeling that we haven’t had enough time with the person who has died. This regret can fuel the waves of sadness and create that feeling of being stuck.

Everyone experiences loss differently, and there is no right or wrong way to grieve. Feelings can arise unexpectedly, even after you may have felt more able to cope. They can reawaken or intensify, particularly around significant dates that trigger reminders of the loss.

How Hypnotherapy can help with grief

When grief and loss enter our lives, they can feel completely overwhelming and take a huge toll.

Sometimes it can be helpful to talk to a trained professional about your emotional concerns rather than to others who may have experienced the loss too. You may be experiencing complex feelings that you may think other people may not agree with.

Hypnotherapy is a gentle way to help you process what has happened or to address existing issues that may have been worsened by grief. Hypnosis can help you with the emotional fallout and the adjustment to life without that living presence.

There is no need to suppress emotions.  Hypnotherapy will help you manage them and lessen the rawness of your grief.  In Andrew Garfield’s case, he expressed a desire for his grief to remain with him because it is a testament to the love he has for his mother.

I can support you and be with you on your journey as you move forward in ways that are appropriate to you.