Have you ever suffered the death of a loved one? Have you ever grieved over the loss of a relationship, job, home, or situation, an injury or a disaster of some sort?
Whether you currently are experiencing or previously have experienced such a loss, you are familiar with the emotional, spiritual and mental pain associated with that situation. You get firsthand that grief is multidimensional and can manifest in a seemingly jumbled array of intense ups and downs, twists and turns, erratic and oftentimes debilitating despair. Bottom line – you experience trauma.
Commonly, the physical and physiological effects of grief-induced trauma are not openly addressed, but simply accepted as a natural by-product which will self-resolve through the eventual passing of time and therapeutic talk treatment for your fragile and possibly broken mind, heart and spirit.
You may be taken by surprise with how much grief over loss hurts and affects you physiologically. I vividly recall my physical state after the sudden loss of my father thirty-seven years ago this month. I was the one in the family who relocated to move in with my mother; helping her to manage and pick up the pieces.
This was my first great loss. Ever ‘daddy’s little girl’, even at the age of 24, I experienced significant physical effects; mostly loss of appetite (which led to dropping a dramatic amount of weight) and severe migraines. Feeling my symptoms were of less concern than my mother’s, I took little care to address my physical needs. After all, I was young and resilient, and believed my mother’s loss was ‘greater than mine’.
Other common symptoms of physical hurt suffered from grief and loss may be insomnia, an iron clad clenched jaw, grinding of teeth, dogged fatigue accompanied by irritability, unrelenting tightness and overall muscular pain or stomach and digestion issues. Perhaps tension headaches may grip you for days or weeks on end. Your joints may ache; your posture may literally pull you down. Imagine your lower back throbbing, your shoulders screaming out and your neck feeling tight, thick and immovable.
With your stress level possibly ‘off the charts’, these physical/physiological effects may catch you off guard. You might choose to ignore them in the belief your emotional pain takes precedence. You might feel overwhelmed by your emotional, mental and physical manifestation of grief.
Take heart. Physical suffering need not lengthen nor exacerbate your healing process. Subtle and gentle attention to your body through regular massage, supportive SoundBody ™ therapy and Reiki treatments can make all the difference in your grief recovery. Yes, it takes time and, especially in that initial six month to a year phase, you need all the physical support and caring touch you can get.
Yes, by all means, attend grief counseling support groups, engage a therapist or counselor, rely on your spiritual backbone and call upon support of friends and family to carry you through. But also directly address your physical manifestation on grief. Most traditional talk therapists are not licensed to touch and therefore are unable to offer you this therapy. Hopefully though, they can refer you to certified and licensed bodywork /massage therapist.
Allow me to help you. Call to consult with me regarding scheduling a series of grief sensitive massage/SoundBody™ healing sessions in Middleborough, MA: 508.947.5348.
© 2017 Katharine Gilpin
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