After a loss, it is easy to fall into a state of isolation as many of us do. Sometimes, there are days when all we can accomplish is to open our eyes. There is a place for all of this alone time, but there is also a time for community.
Here at Together We Heal Community, we believe so strongly in this idea that we included “community” in our name. It’s one of our core values: to bring people together with shared wounds. We are continuously seeking activities to help grievers engage and move forward in their healing after loss.
“One of our key needs of mourning is to receive and accept support from friends, family members, neighbors, and colleagues. The empathy of others allows us to express our natural and necessary grief outside of ourselves. Whenever we talk about our grief and share our stories of love and loss, we are taking a step toward healing.” Alan Wolfelt
The social support we ask for and receive during our time of grief helps build a bridge of meaning that carries us forward.
Community provides benefits that grievers need on an ongoing basis. Grief doesn’t come to an abrupt end and it changes as time goes on. Finding community produces a network of emotional and social support for grievers.
Emotional Support
Grief is a lonely experience and often leads to isolation. Although there is a benefit of being reflective and alone, a supportive community allows individuals to express their feelings, share stories, and find comfort in knowing they're not alone in their pain.
Social Connection
We are social creatures, and relationships give life meaning and purpose. After a loss, the need for companionship and connection can be especially strong. Community provides opportunities to connect with others, build new relationships, and rediscover a sense of belonging. Many of our attendees come to one workshop and enjoy the community so much, they start coming to almost everything. People get to know each other and form relationships within our community because they share a common bond and feel comfortable in a safe setting.
Shared Experiences
Connecting with others who have experienced similar losses can be validating and comforting. Sharing stories and experiences can help people feel understood and less alone. In our Grief Support Group ~Overcoming Loss, one of the participants said this about their experience. “This group gave me the opportunity to feel supported and create bonds with others pained by loss. I look forward to hopefully continuing the bonds that were created within the group.”
Practical Support
Through established community resources, which attend to unique needs of grieving individuals, community members can have a support system to utilize when they are ready for help and support. We always strive to bring workshops and events that bring helpful, educational, hands-on information that you can apply immediately to your life. This week’s workshop “Planning for the Next Phase” helps you get ready for end-of-life decisions. Is it fun? No. Is it necessary in order to rest easy knowing everything is already handled? Absolutely.
Reduced Isolation
A strong community provides opportunities to connect with others who are experiencing similar emotions and challenges. Connecting with others who understand your feelings first-hand encourages strong bonds that encourage healing.
Long-Term Healing
Community support can be instrumental in helping individuals navigate the long-term process of grief and find meaning and healing after a loss. Finding professionals who have experience in helping people navigate the complexities of loss and secondary loss are of tremendous value. Another Grief Group attendee said this about her experience. “I gained lots of tools to navigate my grieving process! I learned so much!”
Honoring Loss
Honoring losses in a meaningful way encourages camaraderie, reduces the sense of isolation often experienced after a tragedy, and connects individuals and families with support services that help over the long-term. We acknowledge our losses at the beginning of each of our workshops. We share a little about our loved ones as a way of paying tribute to them. We equip ourselves with tools to move forward as a way of honoring our loved ones and ourselves.
Finding Purpose
Engaging in community activities and giving back can help grieving individuals find a sense of purpose and meaning after a loss. It is natural and normal to seek purpose after a loss. This “finding purpose” helps us acknowledge that our loved one existed and was important. This new purpose builds legacy and ownership in our life from here.
We must embrace one another as we walk together through this transition. We don’t have to navigate grief alone. Humans are wired for connection and this is why the need for community is necessary: It provides the resources and connection we need to move forward after loss.
We hope that you find our opportunities of community inviting and join us for one of our events. Please visit our Calendar of Events to get started.
“Grief is not an illness, and we do not recover from it, that is, there is no cure. It is a natural life cycle event that all of us will experience when someone we are close to, care about, or simply know, dies. We learn to accommodate to this loss, to accommodate to our feelings, and to cope with the many changes a death can bring to our lives.” Dr. Phyllis Silverman
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