Listening to Grief: How Therapy Supports Healing and Connection

Listening to Grief

Grief has a way of reaching into every part of us. It touches the body, the mind, and our relationships. It is not just a single emotion, but a complex process that unfolds over time. When we grieve, we are experiencing the body’s and mind’s way of responding to loss, and although it can feel unbearable, grief is part of being human.

When the World Feels Different

Many people describe grief as disorienting. The world can feel strange, as if the ground beneath us has shifted. Familiar routines may no longer make sense. Even our emotions can take us by surprise, swinging between numbness, anger, sadness, and moments of calm. This happens because grief unsettles our nervous system and our sense of who we are. The bonds we form with others shape our identity, so when those bonds are broken, our internal landscape changes too.

How the Body Holds Grief

Research in neuroscience shows that the same areas of the brain that register physical pain are also activated when we experience emotional loss. The body often carries grief long before the mind can make sense of it. It might appear as fatigue, tightness in the chest, a heavy stomach, or an inability to rest. The body holds the story of what we have lost. Yet, if given time and safety, it also holds the capacity to heal.

Creating Space for Healing - Grief Therapy

Therapy can help by creating space for this process to unfold. Rather than trying to fix or rush grief, therapy offers a place to listen to it. Together, we can begin to notice what grief needs to express and how it moves through the body. Sometimes that means sitting quietly with the ache, and other times it means allowing tears, anger, or silence to surface. There is no right way to grieve.

Finding Meaning and Connection

Irvin Yalom, in his reflections on mortality and loss, reminds us that grief connects us deeply to what it means to be alive. When we face the reality of loss, we also come face-to-face with love, meaning, and the awareness of our own impermanence. Yalom speaks about how confronting these truths can awaken us to live more fully, to connect more deeply, and to value the moments we have. Grief, painful as it is, can also open us to a renewed sense of presence and purpose.

The Layers of Grief

Relationally, grief often stirs older layers of pain. It may remind us of previous losses, separations, or unmet needs. These echoes from the past can intensify the current experience, making it feel heavier or more confusing. Working relationally means gently exploring how those earlier experiences might shape the way grief feels now. Sometimes, through the safety of the therapeutic relationship, we begin to experience connection in new ways that help the grief to soften and integrate.

Living Alongside Grief

Over time, grief changes shape. It rarely disappears completely, but it becomes something we can live alongside. The sharp edges may fade, allowing room for warmth, memory, and meaning. Healing often happens quietly, in moments of connection and understanding. It might be a conversation that feels grounding, a breath that feels a little easier, or the simple sense that you are no longer carrying it all alone.

If you are grieving, know that you are not broken. Grief is a natural process that asks for time, compassion, and company. It is the body and mind’s way of honouring love, change, and what it means to be human.