First Aid for Grief

My husband and I have been watching “Chicago Fire” a drama of the life of firefighters and paramedics in Chicago.  The paramedics and fire trucks always carry a jump bag filled with necessary medical supplies they will need in emergencies.  They provide first aid till the person can be transported to the hospital. 

As Stronger Life Connections provides grief support to our community, locally and online, we realize that not many people know first aid for grief that is helpful.  Usually we apply bandages that cover up our pain and try to stop the bleeding.  When we have said our platitudes, given our advice, we send them on their way hoping time will heal all wounds. 

What if we could learn tools that could help people work through the emotional pain of loss and start to build resilience as losses keep coming at us? 

I would like to share just one tool that could help someone’s emotional pain.  It is simple but hard to do.  That is to be present and reflectively listen to the person experiencing the loss.  Your presence and listening allows the person experiencing grief to be safe to share their emotional pain and to have someone acknowledge their feelings with out trying to fix them.  We call it being a heart with ears. 

Everyone experiences grief uniquely.  Grief is related to our relationship with the person or thing we have lost. Since we all have a unique relationship with people we will all experience emotional pain differently.  Giving space for someone to share their emotions freely helps them start to move through the emotional pain of loss.

"I remember when I was at the beginning of my journey to move through the emotional pain of abuse.  I finally had the courage to share with a friend.  She did a lot of listening as I grew in courage to share my experience.  She also acknowledged what I went through and was able to help me start to process the loss.  It was first aid for my grief.  It allowed me to start a journey which has changed my life as I have been able to move through the emotional pain of loss and build resilience in my life."

Darlene Rempel

To learn more about First Aid for Grief, visit our website www.stronger-lifeconnections.com or email strongerlifeconnections@gmail.com