Suffered a loss so cataclysmic it divided your life into a “before” and “after?”
Spent entire days longing for what was?
Felt disoriented, disconnected, unable to fully articulate the ache inside?
Endured months of feeling empty, lost, alone, stuck, unable to “move on?”
Wondered if you’d ever feel joy again?
Received family or social pressure to “get over it?”
“Grief requires us to reorient ourselves to every part of our physical, emotional, and social worlds.” Brene Brown
Loss and grief are universal, yet few of us today take the opportunity to fully grieve. Western culture tells us that grief is private, linear, and time-limited. After a major loss, we are expected to bounce back after a month or two, a year at most.
But the second year after a loss is often harder than the first… yet we’re pressured to present a happy face to the world.
Testimonials:
“I highly recommend this upcoming Heart-Broken Open: Grief as a Sacred Path to Renewal and Rebirth Retreat. I went to last year’s retreat and it was a life-changing experience. I received so many a-ha moments and blessings during the retreat weekend. It was a great investment of my time and I walked away a different person with many additional tools in how to process grief for the rest of my life.” Karen Louther
“It was excellent. My personal response to the retreat was that I made a major shift in my position toward my daughter–with whom I had been estranged. I reached out to her via text inviting her to meet with me.”
Sarah Martin
“My experience of the retreat with Joyce and Melody was heart-connecting and soothing for my soul. They co-created a sacred space which felt safe for participation, for sharing my loss and expressing personal experiences of sorrow. This sacred space is a very delicate place indeed. Joyce and Melody skillfully supported the group as a whole and honored each individual’s needs. No loss was too small or insignificant, no grieving process too long. In their wisdom we were guided towards a resolution of equilibrium and vitality. Towards feeling again that life has purpose.”
Gillian Bergamo Athens, GA
Our ancestors accepted grief as a normal part of life. They knew that grief buried alive kills the mind, the body, the soul. When a loss happened to one member of the tribe, it was processed and grieved—by the entire tribe. They created a ritual that allowed the grief to be fully felt, with the support of the community.
When grief is processed and integrated, it transforms into a life-force, a fuel that re-vitalizes and propels us forward as individuals, families, and communities.
But when grief is ignored, tamped down, buried alive, our vitality is buried with it.
We live in a time when we are experiencing devastating personal—and planetary—loss. It is no longer advisable to grieve privately, to force ourselves to “get over it.” Now is the time for conscious, courageous community grieving.
“Grief is a matter of the heart and soul. Grieve your loss, allow it in, and spend time with it.” Louise Hay
Grief is feral; it does not come on demand. But grief can be evoked—through stories, writing, movement, and ritual. Grief can be welcomed, integrated, and transformed within the sacred space formed by an intentional community.
Who Can This Help?
Caregivers: therapists, coaches, health and wellness practitioners
Anyone experiencing any kind of loss: bereavement, divorce, financial/job/home loss
Those dealing with trauma, diagnosis, or illness
Survivors healing from old wounds
Anyone experiencing the loss of a beloved animal
Sensitives who feel grief for the devastation of our precious planet and its people
Anyone feeling stuck, sad, or lonely
“The deeper that sorrow carves into your being, the more joy you can contain.” Kahlil Gibran
Helena Lopes of Unsplash
How This Can Help:
You—and your grief—will be welcomed into our community
Your presence will be honored and your grief shared
We’ll co-create a safe, compassionate space for deep emotional release and healing
We’ll integrate and transform buried emotions like shame, anger, and rage (which often manifest as depression, and anxiety)
We’ll use music and movement to release stuck emotional issues
You’ll learn powerful tools of painting, and journaling that you can use to process grief for the rest of your life
“Where there is sorrow, there is holy ground.” Oscar Wilde
The retreat will include:
Powerful writing practice to assist in opening our stories of loss
Engagement of Circle of Life Self-Inquiry Assessment
Deepening our trust in our emotional and body wisdom
Sharing our stories of loss
An avenue to express our grief over world events
Learning practices and healing tools to use after the retreat
Practicing Movement and breathwork to release emotions
Price: $167
Grief Guide
Joyce Dillon, RN, MN, BCC is a loss and grief nurse educator, certified life and wellness coach, purpose facilitator, and a creativity teacher. Joyce has studied loss and grief with wise indigenous elder Dr. Malidoma Some has been mentored by renowned loss and grief author and therapist Francis Weller and is trained in Rapid Resolution Therapy, Clearing Old Wounds, and Trauma Release.
She is an advanced mind/body medicine practitioner from Harvard and the Center of Mind-Body Medicine. As a nurse, she has years of experience working with loss, grief, and trauma with patients in two VA hospitals, a community family clinic, a home health consultant, and in her wellness center.
She has a private practice in Atlanta and teaches/coaches online internationally. Her personal experience with loss and grief and her healing work with clients have deeply influenced her desire to co-partner in creating this transformational retreat.
