Pet Loss 1:1 grief support with Pamela Ann Noxon
Loss of a pet can be devastating. Pet Loss is different than other loss, it's not less than, it's different and it requires validation, respect, and the right tools and support to help you navigate your loss with dignity and compassion.
Pet Loss is hard. Beyond the loss of your pet itself, you can feel quite isolated, or that your grief isn’t as important as the loss of a human. You may be unaware that you deserve support or not know where to start to find the right help. I’m Pamela Ann Noxon, trauma-informed Holistic Grief Educator and Grief Coach and Pet Loss work is very near and dear to my heart.
“Until one has loved an animal, a part one’s soul remains unawakened.” ~ Anatole France
I am so honored to work with clients experiencing grief over the loss of a pet.
Grief in our culture is already 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. 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” or “get another one” 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.
I work via Zoom or in person in my San Marcos, CA home. I book all initial Pet Loss Grief Coaching sessions through Dogs on the Run, Pet Concierge Service.
Rates are:
$200 for a 1 1/2 hour first session on Zoom
$250 for a 1 1/2 hour first session in person
Subsequent sessions are booked directly with me and are $125 Zoom/$175 in person.
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 60-90 minutes) based on your emotional needs and how you relate with 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. Or you may want a few sessions over time to navigate your loss. 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.
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 our Loved Ones 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 your loss; what was the day of their passing like, was it a natural end, Vet induced, or an accident?
Your story and history with other 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. I am happy to work with people over Zoom. It is important that when we work together virtually that you are in a ‘controlled’ environment where you will not be interrupted and can be completely comfortable - partially reclining is usually best because it allows your body to reach a state of 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.