Loss of a Family Member

Articles

  • Ending Your Life Is Not the Answer

    Posted on February 28, 2025 - by Stan Popovich

    Ending Your Life Is Not the Answer You are at the end of your rope, and you can’t take it any much longer. You are in pain and you are suffering and you feel there is no hope. The first thing that you need to do is to seek the services of a professional counselor. As a published author of a managing fear book and as a layman, here are five reasons why suicide is not an option to your problems. Things Change Over Time Regardless of your situation, things do not stay the same. You may feel very bad […]

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  • Five Ways to Get Through the Holidays (When You’re Not Feeling Ho Ho Hopeful)

    Posted on December 22, 2024 - by Heidi Gessner

    Five Ways to Get Through the Holidays Holidays can be difficult when someone you love has died. Or you’ve lost your job. Or an important relationship has ended. It can be hard to watch others being joyful and merry while your life feels joyless. You may need to be more intentional about your plans this year. Here are 5 innovative ways you can get through (and maybe even enjoy them). Light a candle. Engage in a meaningful ritual. Set aside some intentional quiet time to think of your loved one (and your life). Perhaps write a letter letting him or […]

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  • Five Tips After the Death of a Child

    Posted on December 18, 2024 - by Fran Gerstein

    Five Tips After the Death of a Child From the moment you get the news that your child has died, you are thrust into a surreal world. People are calling—including doctors, nurses, detectives, police, coroners, and funeral directors. You are disoriented, yet there are decisions that require your attention and macabre tasks you must attend to. Most of us rise to the occasion and react later. When you look back, you will undoubtedly wonder, “How did I get through that?” You will also be emotionally and physically confused for a long time. Take care of your mind and body and […]

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  • Making the Most of Your Bedside Visits: Tips for Patients

    Posted on December 18, 2024 - by Bernie Siegel

    Making the Most of Bedside Visits Whether you are convalescing at home or are in a hospital or other facility right now, there are some simple things you can do with a loved one or companion – that will feel good and also help you to heal. In the hospital setting, you may be in the care of a physical therapist. Such a specialist can help you work wonders on the way towards recovery.  But the demands on their time are such that your needs for physical exercise cannot be met by them alone. Time is of the essence here; […]

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  • mothers journey understanding grief

    Understanding Pregnancy Loss: One Mother’s Journey of Love and Grief

    Posted on December 15, 2024 - by Gloria Horsley

    The profound impact of pregnancy loss often goes unspoken in society, yet it affects countless families each year. Through the story of Lindsey Henke, a licensed clinical social worker and psychotherapist, we gain insight into the complex journey of loss, grief, and healing that follows the death of a baby. A Life-Changing Moment In 2012, Lindsey Henke experienced what no expectant parent should ever face. After a seemingly normal 40-week pregnancy with her daughter Nora, she noticed reduced fetal movement the night before her scheduled delivery. Upon arrival at the hospital, Lindsey and her husband received devastating news: their baby […]

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  • navigating holiday grief

    Practical Strategies for Holiday Survival

    Posted on December 11, 2024 - by Gloria Horsley

    The holiday season can be particularly challenging for those who have lost loved ones. In a heartfelt discussion on the Open to Hope Conversations podcast, Dr. Gloria Horsley and her daughters, Dr. Heidi Horsley and Rebecca Barra, shared their personal experiences and professional insights about managing grief during the holidays. Understanding Holiday Grief The first holiday season after losing a family member often proves to be the most difficult. Rebecca Barra, who lost her father four years ago, initially resisted setting up holiday decorations or participating in festivities. Despite having four children, she struggled with acknowledging the holidays without her […]

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  • Finding Hope Through Breathwork

    Posted on December 2, 2024 - by Stephen Stott

    Finding Hope Through Breathwork Grief is a universal experience, yet it is deeply personal. It touches every corner of our lives, reshaping our identities, relationships, and even our understanding of the world. For some, it comes like a tidal wave, sudden and overpowering. For others, it settles in slowly, like a fog that doesn’t lift. No matter how grief manifests, it often brings questions we don’t know how to answer: How do I move forward? Can I ever feel whole again? As someone who has walked this path, I’ve learned that grief doesn’t just affect the heart or mind—it takes […]

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  • Valuable Lessons about Holiday Grief

    Posted on December 1, 2024 - by Nan Zastrow

    Valuable Lessons about Holiday Grief “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.”  (Russell M. Nelson) Holidays were always a Big Deal in our family until the death of my son. They began with family and friends gathering for Halloween costume parties and ended only when the calendar flipped to a new year. The only thing that could make them better was if the next year could be better than the last! When my son died in 1993, we made a lot of changes […]

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  • navigating loss insights

    Grief Tips from an Ayurveda Practitioner

    Posted on November 19, 2024 - by Dr. Gloria and Dr. Heidi Horsley

    In a recent episode of Open to Hope Conversations, Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Heidi Horsley welcomed Dr. Shweta Vikram, an international speaker, best-selling author, and Ayurvedic practitioner. Dr. Vikram shared valuable insights on coping with grief and loss, drawing from her personal experiences and professional expertise. A Journey Through Loss Dr. Vikram’s connection to grief and loss runs deep. Her early experiences with the loss of her grandfather and aunt shaped her understanding of grief. Later, she faced the profound loss of both her father and father-in-law within two days of each other, which became the inspiration for her […]

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  • Top 10 Podcasts for Grief, Loss and Healing

    Posted on November 11, 2024 - by Heidi Horsley

    Grief is a deeply personal journey, and while everyone’s experience is different, listening to others share their stories and insights can be incredibly comforting and healing. Podcasts about grief offer a range of perspectives, from experts in mental health and mindfulness to everyday people sharing their personal stories. Here’s a list of top grief podcasts that provide valuable support, empathy, and understanding for those navigating loss. 1. Open to Hope Podcast The Open to Hope Podcast, hosted by Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Heidi Horsley, is a powerful resource for individuals dealing with loss. Drawing from personal experiences and professional […]

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  • Tools to Ease ‘Catastrophizing’

    Posted on November 4, 2024 - by Nalda Seidman

    Tools to Ease ‘Catastrophizing’ My husband and I are Digital Nomads who work remotely and travel, and for the most part, it is fun and interesting. In early grief, however, after I lost my 20-year-old son to suicide, I never thought I’d leave my home, much less travel around the world. Getting out of bed and feeding myself was a major triumph in the months after my loss. Aside from overwhelming grief, I had a sense of dread and foreboding. I was certain I’d lose my husband or another family member next. The world felt unsafe, and my home was […]

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  • Re-imagining Hope After Trauma

    Posted on October 6, 2024 - by Lori Grande

    Re-imagining Hope The silent voice of trauma lies idle in the body. Years of dormancy may be followed by its unexpected impact, often on the precipice of healing.  As I fought for justice in my brother’s unsolved homicide, I knew I was losing my life. Over nineteen years, that awareness never became clearer to me than the moment I learned I had breast cancer.  My fight for justice, which ushered in the decline of my health, also initiated a creative approach to rise above the unresolved and touch the edge of hope. Engaging with Stress Stress can be a positive […]

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  • Immediately After a Suicide: Three Things to Remember

    Posted on August 26, 2024 - by Bob Baugher

    As you begin to take in the reality of the loss of your loved one by suicide, there are three things to remember: Take Care of Yourself Right now, you may not feel like anything matters. You have been psychologically wounded by this death, and as with any injury, you will have to focus for a while on finding ways to cope with the pain and take care of yourself. No One Cannot Do This Alone You will have to find ways of surviving that work for you. They will not necessarily be the same methods of coping used by […]

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  • What to Do When the Casseroles Stop Coming: First Anniversary of the Death

    Posted on July 30, 2024 - by Mary Joye

    First Anniversary of the Death About three weeks after a funeral, most people stop checking on you. The offerings become a smattering of well wishes and hopes you’re doing “better”. However, you might not be “better”. The anniversary of a loved one’s passing, particularly the first, sometimes is the toughest. Many books say that one year is “long enough” to grieve. One year may be enough for some, but for others, especially people with small or dysfunctional families, it may not be. If your loved one died of a violent act, the grief may last a lifetime. And no matter the […]

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  • Dating During Widowhood: Am I Being Disloyal?

    Posted on June 24, 2024 - by Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Frank Powers

    Dating During Widowhood We often hear widows and widowers say, “I had such a wonderful partner that I could never be with another person.” Friends and family members who are also missing this departed partner often see this outlook as a badge of honor and courage, and so they encourage it. Obviously, though, these attitudes focus on the past, and can keep us stuck there. And the people who applaud singlehood don’t have to grapple with loneliness. What do you want your future to look like? If indeed you had a great partner, it means that you know how to […]

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  • Self-Care in Grief: Woman in a Blue Padded Folding Chair

    Posted on June 10, 2024 - by Anne Abel

    Woman In A Blue Padded Folding Chair Stop. Breathe. Be. Inhale. Exhale. Wait. I’m sitting in a blue padded folding chair in the basement of a church trying to learn how to meditate. Stop. Breathe. Be. Inhale. Exhale… This just isn’t working for me. It’s the second week of a ten-week course I didn’t want to take in the first place. But, today I especially don’t want to be here. When I woke up in the morning the first thing I thought was, “How many minutes ‘til one o’clock?” I showered and dressed and looked at the clock. I went […]

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  • Space to Heal: Finding Meaning after Loss

    Posted on May 20, 2024 - by Ilana Estelle

    Coping with the death of my twin has been an incredibly challenging and personal experience. Finding meaning and purpose in the aftermath has and continues to be a deeply personal journey. My writing helps. I offer these suggestions for individuals as they navigate their own loss. Give yourself space to heal It is important to give yourself permission to grieve in your way and at your own pace. By allowing yourself the space to heal, you can gradually find meaning and purpose as you move forward on your journey of healing and self-discovery. When it comes to exploring new passions […]

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  • When Grief Causes Mental Health Problems

    Posted on May 6, 2024 - by Ilana Estelle

    Grief support and mental health are deeply interconnected aspects of wellbeing. Grief is a natural response to loss, whether it’s the death of losing someone close, the end of a relationship, or any significant change or loss in one’s life. It is essential to recognise that there is no right or wrong to grieve and that grieving is a highly individual process. It is different for each of us. Prolonged or Intense Grief Prolonged or intense grief can impact mental health significantly. It can also lead to symptoms of depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress disorder (“PTSD”) in some cases. Seeking […]

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  • Writing Through the Pain of an Unsolved Homicide

    Posted on May 6, 2024 - by Lori Grande

    Writing Through the Pain of an Unsolved Homicide Sometimes a sprout can push through a crack in a sidewalk.  Likewise, openings for self-empowerment and healing can grow while living with the cement-like pain of an unsolved homicide.  By diving into our inward landscape and releasing that which grips internally, our relationship with and response to external experiences may be transformed. Writing creates a path to allow what lies beneath the surface to be harnessed in meaningful and productive ways. Why Write? Verbalizing feelings comes with risks; to reveal means to expose and make vulnerable.  Writing connects the brain to the […]

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  • Soul and Grief Connection

    Posted on April 8, 2024 - by Ilana Estelle

    The soul and grief are deeply intertwined in many spiritual and philosophical traditions. It’s only natural that after someone dies, those they leave behind will start to question and want to find meaning. Grief can lead individuals to ask questions, prompting them to think about the nature of existence and the soul’s relationship with the material world. This journey, though difficult, can lead to profound insights and philosophical and spiritual growth, reshaping our understanding of life and death. BELIEVING IN THE AFTERLIFE  Believing in the afterlife can offer immense comfort to those grieving, providing a sense of continuation beyond physical […]

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  • Writing through Grief

    Posted on March 25, 2024 - by Ilana Estelle

    I write about grief to help me through the ‘grieving process’ after the loss of my twin. I hope it helps you too. Grief is complex; it’s based around individual experiences that people go through in response to loss. WRITING HELPS ME Writing helps me through the grieving process after the loss of my twin. It allows me to express how I feel, myself. The act of putting thoughts into words, I find is cathartic and healing. GRIEF IS NOT LINEAR It is important to be aware that grief is not a linear process. It does not have a defined […]

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  • Grief Can Transform the Future

    Posted on March 4, 2024 - by Ilana Estelle

    Grief can throw a spanner in the works, but it can also bring acceptance and closure positively, so long as we’re honest with ourselves. Our experiences can distort our perception of the past. It can feel like our memories are no longer reliable, as grief colours everything with its darkness. A SPANNER IN THE WORKS  A spanner may throw our past into the works because the past isn’t always kind, so we alter how we perceive it. Loss can stop us in our tracks, and it can make us question the value and meaning of our experiences. Grief can make […]

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  • A Spiritual and Healing Journey

    Posted on February 26, 2024 - by Ilana Estelle

    Spirituality and healing around grief is inevitably an individual and personal journey, with no two people sharing the same experiences. While my interest in spirituality started in childhood, my spiritual and healing journey started in earnest some 13+ years ago when I set up my website, The CP Diary, following my Cerebral Palsy diagnosis, aged 46. Personal reflections capture the essence of spirituality and healing. It also highlights the personal nature of spirituality and its potential to accommodate healing on multiple levels—including the physical, emotional and spiritual level. It involves connecting with our inner-selves and being in tune with the […]

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  • Changes in Seasons: Living Through Times of Loss

    Posted on February 5, 2024 - by Greg Adams

    Changes in Seasons North of the equator, and north of the tropics, we are in the season of winter. The grass is brown and bare branches are all around. It is a season of layers, scarves, and gloves. Of ice scrapers, frost, and wind chills. Birds, those who are left, puff up for warmth and search for food. For many of us, it is a season of inside with a sweater and a blanket and a cup of something warm. South of the equator, and south of the tropics, the season is summer. The grass is green, and instead of […]

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Open to Hope Radio

Open to Hope TV

  • Episode 233: Grief Release; Transforming Grief Through Creative Expression

    Posted on December 3, 2024 - by admin

    How do we transform our grief through creative expression? Join Host Dr. Heidi Horsley and her guests, Rebecca Horsley Bara, Jason Wendroff-Rawnicki, and Jordon Ferber to discuss creative ways to release grief. Rebecca Horsley Bara is the President of the Open to Hope Foundation, and serves as a trustee on The Compassionate Friends Foundation Board. Jason Wendroff-Rawnicki started Sibs Online, a bereaved sibling peer support group and is featured in the book, Faces of Grief. Jordon Ferber hosts the Where’s the Grief podcast. He facilitates a Compassionate Friends sibling support group, and runs The Russell Ferber Foundation with his family.

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  • Episode 229: Grief as a Teacher

    Posted on November 6, 2024 - by admin

    Is it possible to learn something from your grief? Join host Dr. Heidi Horsley and her co-host Alan Pedersen as they discuss how grief can be a teacher. Joining them are, Jason Wendroff-Rawnicki, Carin Mikos, Jan Jeremias, Bill Correll, Jordon Ferber, and Kelli Holst. Co-host Alan Pedersen has presented programs for grieving families in over 1,600 cities and is the former Executive Director for The Compassionate Friends. Jason Wendroff-Rawnicki, is a somatic therapist, who started SIBS online, a weekly peer to peer support group. Carin Mikos, is the creator of Quietus House, and podcast host for In the Gap. Jan […]

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  • Episode 227: Grief and The Preservation of Self

    Posted on September 27, 2024 - by admin

    How do we take care of ourselves when we are so busy taking care of others after a loss? Join Host Dr. Heidi Horsley and her guests Tysha Scott and Anne Smith as they discuss the importance of the preservation of self. Tysha Scott is the owner and management consultant of TS Management Consulting and is the Executive Board Member of Classic Stage Company. Tysha has been a theater teacher for middle school, high school, and college. She was married to Phillip Randall Scott for 30 yrs. until his untimely death. Anne Smith is one of nine children, and her […]

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  • Episode 216: Grieving Voices; Journeys of Loss

    Posted on May 29, 2024 - by admin

    Is it possible to find hope again after loss? Join hosts Dr. Gloria Horsley and her daughter Dr. Heidi Horsley, along with their guests Abby Dart and Meghan Riordan-Jarvis, as they discuss their journey out of the darkness and back into the light after losing loved ones. Abby Dart has a law degree from Loyola Law School and is a member of the California Bar. Following the death of her husband by suicide, she entered the political arena, lobbying for better mental health care. Meghan Riordan-Jarvis is a psychotherapist and hosts the podcast “Grief is My Side Hustle.” She has […]

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  • Episode 215: Sudden Traumatic Loss

    Posted on May 29, 2024 - by admin

    Have you experienced a sudden traumatic loss? If so, get tips and tools on how to navigate this difficult time. Join hosts Dr. Gloria Horsley and her daughter Dr. Heidi Horsley, along with their guests Meghan Riordan-Jarvis and Abby Dart, to discuss what helped them after traumatic loss and what might help you too. Meghan Riordan-Jarvis is a psychotherapist and hosts the podcast “Grief is My Side Hustle.” She has written two books: a memoir called “End of The Hour,” about her personal experience with PTSD after the successive deaths of her parents, and “Can Anyone Tell Me Why: Essential […]

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  • Episode 214: Navigating Health and Wellness After Loss

    Posted on May 29, 2024 - by admin

    The death of a loved one can take a physical, psychological, and emotional toll on us. How do we navigate health and wellness after loss? Join hosts Dr. Gloria Horsley and her daughter, Dr. Heidi Horsley, along with their guests Jeanne Jacobwitz and Meghan Riordan-Jarvis, as they discuss healthy ways to care for ourselves after loss. Jeanne Jacobwitz is a widow and board member at the W Connection, a nonprofit organization that helps widows. Jeanne teaches at Georgetown University in the graduate midwifery/women’s health programs and is currently conducting research on how bereavement can impact a widow’s health. Meghan Riordan-Jarvis […]

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  • Open to Love: The Secrets of Senior Dating

    Posted on June 17, 2024 - by Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Frank Powers

    Open to Love: The Secrets of Senior Dating, by Dr. Gloria Horsley and Dr. Frank Powers In Open to Love, two therapists share their personal and professional stories of love and romance after fifty. Whether it’s dating after divorce, loss, or just in your later years, Gloria Horsley and Frank Powers show readers how to face their fears about getting back in the game and help them find love by identifying what they truly need in a partner. In the world of online connection and dating apps, finding yourself being single can feel intimidating, especially when it’s been a while. Open to […]

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