One on one Holistic Grief COaCHING with Pamela Ann Noxon
Grief is so hard. There’s a reason I say I want to help you heal with your grief - I don’t say heal from your grief. We can never ‘fix’ grief - but we can work to heal your mind/body/spirit disconnect to help make you whole again. We are never the same after the loss of a Loved One, but you can work to be put back together in a new way. My work is not to help you “move on” from a Loved One; it’s to help you incorporate the loss in a deeper more meaningful way and allow it to be a part of you so you can evolve and live your life in a full and healthy way.
Grief never ‘goes away’ and in grief coaching or consulting we work to help you mourn your loss in a healthy, balanced, compassionate way. Mourning is the natural externalization and expression of grief. Sadly since the early 20th-century Western civilization has moved away from the ancient and very human rituals and aspects of mourning leaving people alone, isolated, and forced to just “get back out there” and function like usual. Losing a Loved One catapults you out of “the usual” realm of existence into a fractured state. Grief creates a mind-body split that dissociates your connection and wholeness. Healthy mourning - that fits with your beliefs and style- moves grief so that it doesn’t turn into deeper health issues like depression or illness. My approach is at once esoteric and pragmatic - but it is not passive. I give you steps and tasks to move your feelings to effect change and we work together to move you through the various aspects of your pain and suffering.
Many traditional psychiatrists and psychologists have no grief-specific training. Grief is not a pathology or mental illness which is what they are trained to work with. Grief is a very natural part of living and loving and is, unfortunately, an inevitable part of living and loving as it’s a form of love. If you didn’t love or care you wouldn’t grieve. I work differently than therapists, doctors, or mental health care professionals who do talk therapy and cognitive work in 55-minute sessions once or twice a week. I work very holistically with a specific, grief-informed approach that encompasses mind, body, and spirit grief work in addition to traditional grief movement methods. We set our appointments (usually 90 minutes) based on your emotional needs and how you progress through your grief. Since grief is so painful I find it is often helpful to push our time together into a tighter time frame, but every treatment plan is customized for you as everyone’s experience with grief and loss is unique. You may see me once and get what you need to cope or for weeks or months. It is your call. There is absolutely no timeline for healing grief - none. I put no expectation nor pressure on you to “heal”. Your process will take what it takes and everyone is different and every loss is unique.
In scheduling your first appointment please consider that sometimes it is difficult to access your feelings when there is shock or trauma or when you are overwhelmed by dealing with the immediate “business” that comes with the death of a Loved One. The ‘dealings’ of preparing for funerals, services, events, hosting people, communicating details, guests flying into town, dealing with family, and more, can be overwhelming and you may need to see a Grief Coach once you’ve made it through the first weeks or month after loss. Some people find grief coaching to be beneficial as they are going through the process of dealing with everything post-death, while many find that attending to these needs must happen once the dust settles.
As a certified Grief Educator, trauma-informed Holistic Grief Coach, Certified Grief Movement Guide, Certified Art Therapy Practitioner, former hospice worker, wellness coach, and teacher of healing arts and communication, I am trained in and use techniques like the following to bring awareness, and emotional release to feelings, and that work to help you move some big feelings and ultimately find some peace:
Hypnotherapy
Hypno-Anaesthesia
Somato Emotional Release therapies [SER]
Movement and Embodiment Techniques
Art Therapy
Deep Relaxation Techniques
Guided Imagery & Visualization
Breathing Techniques
EMDR and Brain Balancing Techniques
Meditation
Various mind-body approaches like Polyvagal / Vagus Nerve Release techniques
I am not a doctor or a psychiatrist or a psychologist I am a facilitator who helps you reconnect and put yourself back together after the intense brokenness of loss. Through intense study of many mind/body/spirit techniques and personal work, life led me to help people dealing with loss, trauma and emotional pain and ‘stuckness’. I am trained in many holistic modalities, I’ve done hospice and had a private practice working alongside psychiatrists, psychologists, chiropractors, osteopaths, and medical doctors to help their patients and supplement their professional medical practices. I’ve worked with many different kinds of clients from all different kinds of backgrounds and belief systems with many different kinds of issues; from physiological issues to emotional issues to deep loss and grief. Even though I am not a psychologist or psychiatrist I do honor the sacredness of our sessions and keep all information completely private.
Love never dies. My belief system is that people never just ‘disappear’ they may leave the physical body but the essence of them is always going to be alive somewhere. Energy never dies it just changes. I also believe it when we lose loved ones they stay attached to us and they are always with us in some way. I want to help you deepen your connection to your loved one.
If your grief becomes stuck it can lead to depression or illness. You deserve to be healthy and you deserve to live. There will be a day, someday, maybe not soon, but there will come a day when you will wake up and you will know in your heart that there is more love to give and more life to live - but only you can determine when that is.
I will want to know in our initial Grief Coaching consultation:
Are you experiencing physiological symptoms? Insomnia, headaches, pain, numbness, racing heart, anxiety, etc.
What is your belief system and your and your family’s religious beliefs?
The story of the person you’ve lost; what is their birth date, day of passing, how they passed, the story of the loss, who were they to you, what type of relationship you had with them (soulmate, close, warm, and loving; contentious, challenging, estranged, etc.)
Your story and history with loss.
I appreciate seeing a photo of your loved one - you may send me a photo by text or email and I appreciate you bringing a photo to our sessions.
I often work with people who are seeing a licensed therapist or practitioner as well and see clients in my home office which is a private, lovely, nurturing, safe place to feel and relax. During COVID-19 restrictions I am happy to work with people over Zoom. It is important that we work together virtually so that you are in a ‘controlled’ environment where you will not be interrupted and can be completely comfortable - partially reclining is usually best because you create a ‘zero gravity’ condition for your body to allow for deep relaxation. None of what we do is through your conscious mind - everything we’re doing is looking to get into your non-conscious or deeper mind where your emotions and your connection to all things resides.
