Grief can feel overwhelming
I love the change in season from winter to spring. The days are longer, the sun is warmer and the colours are more vibrant. Yet not everyone is in a position to look forward with anticipation. I was speaking with a colleague yesterday who was struggling with moving forward since her mother passed away before Christmas, at the beginning of winter.
‘I want to be on pause’. She was connecting with a sense of not wanting to go on to the next season without her mother. To me, this was understandable.
As she spoke about this transition, emotions started to surface. Anger. Regret. Sadness. To me, this also was understandable.
‘I struggle to breathe. I went for a walk yesterday and my chest felt so heavy. I’m told to focus on my breathing and I try breathing techniques but it doesn’t help.’ I know from my work with Logosynthesis that these sensations can feel really intense, especially around when connecting with grief and loss.
Using the Logosynthesis Basic Procedure
This is our starting point with Logosynthesis. How do you suffer? What are the thoughts, emotions and sensations. We connect with the distress for a moment. Not to rationalize it nor judge it but rather to acknowledge it.
I asked her to notice her level of distress on a scale of 0-10, with 10 being the most distressing? She rated it an 8.
I asked her to connect with this distress, gently guiding her and giving her time to notice what appears.
Is there an image, sound or other sensory perceptions? Do not think about it. Simply notice.
‘Ahhhh! I have an image.’
Can you locate the image?
‘Yes. It appears right in front of me.’
We apply the three specific sentences to this image, allowing a pause for each sentence to process.
What do you notice now?
‘I can breathe.’
Can you imagine going for a walk without the heaviness?
‘Yes.’
‘I can breathe’ – Logosynthesis can offer relief
The next morning, I touched base to check in and asked how she was feeling.
‘I slept really well last night. First time in months.’
There will be more distressing thoughts, emotions and sensations that arise. With the support of a fast, easy and repeatable tool, along with the support of an experienced guide for more difficult situations, hidden and frozen perceptions can be softened to help you to breathe again and to move into the next season.