I appreciate you taking the time to read my blogs over the years and hope you’ve received some great tips and tools for keeping yourself healthy and happy, and in balance. Focusing on resilience and joy is only part of my practice, however.
Much of my work with clients and groups is about recovering from grief and surviving loss. After a series of losses, including the death of my mother, my divorce, my second husband’s suicide, and continued estrangements from primary family members, I combined the tools I collected as a yoga therapist and wellness coach and studies in positive psychology, neuroscience, meditation and mindfulness, and spirituality to turn post-traumatic stress disorder into post-traumatic growth and resilience for myself first. Now, I am extending the tools I have collected to others through coaching, writing, and now publishing two of my own books.
I’ve shared some of my personal stories in this blog and especially on podcasts, but I am called to share more to help as many people as possible.
David Kessler, a world-renowned grief expert who worked with Elizabeth Kubler Ross to transition the five stages of the dying to the five stages of grief, recently added a sixth stage. This stage of Finding Meaning is described eloquently in his 2019 book by that name.
Please keep in mind the stages of grief are not meant to be a linear progression. I still cycle through all of them but because of the work I have done, they no longer control my behavior or my ability to live a joyful life.
Finding meaning by sharing my story to help others in grief has been part of my journey for the last five years while I’ve been writing a book for survivors of spouse or partner suicide loss.
Surviving Spouse or Partner Suicide Loss
A Mindful Guide for Your Journey through Grief
After completing the manuscript and while participating in and now moderating grief groups, I realized that a large part of a survivor’s suffering doesn’t come from the actual suicide loss but from unhelpful interactions with family and friends after the suicide loss. Keeping this in mind, I created a similar survival guide for companions—people who are close to the suicide loss survivor but don’t know how to offer meaningful, mindful help.
Supporting a Survivor of Spouse or Partner Suicide Loss
A Mindful Guide for Co-journeying through Grief
I have so much gratitude for my ability to find the right people to help me get this two-part project out into the world. Saved By Story Publishing will release these books on January 26, 2023.
I hope you’ll join me on the journey of bringing this message to those in the world who are suffering from this type of loss.
As always I am here for you offering coaching, yoga therapy, and more.
Blessings and Gratitude,
Michelle