Hypnosis for Healing Grief and Loss
Grief happened to me sooner than I expected. I used to think that you’ll only grieve intensely when you lose someone really close to you. However, I quickly found out the hard way that you can grieve a city, a person, a relationship, a job or even a side of you that is no longer available.
There are many different reasons for grief and loss but the emotions are universal; sadness, anger, hurt, shock, emptiness, frustration, feeling lost and alone. Healing grief and loss effectively is important to be able to free yourself from these emotions.
Hypnosis can be very helpful in healing grief and loss because the subconscious processing and releasing can help with moving forward with ease and clarity. Hypnotherapy can also help with getting closure when a connection stops unfinished.
What is grief?
Grief is a tender, personal journey that we all walk through at some point in our lives. It's the complex mixture of emotions we experience when we face significant losses, like the passing of a loved one or the end of a meaningful relationship.
This universal human response surfaces a mix of feelings – from the heavy weight of sadness to anger, and everything in between. It's important to remember that there's no "one-size-fits-all" approach to grief; it's as unique as each individual.
Factors like our connection to what's lost, the way we cope, and the support we receive all play a significant role in this journey.
What are the stages of grief and loss?
Even though the journey through grief will differ from person to person, the psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler-Ross outlined 5 stages of grief.
The first stage is typically denial, a natural defense mechanism that protects us from the immediate shock and pain. During this stage, people may say things like “There is still a chance that things will be okay” after an ended relationship, or “I will call my father”, even though he passed.
This is followed by anger, an intense emotion that surfaces as we try to cope with the reality of the loss. This is where we may observe rage, difficulty with forgiveness, or resistance overall.
Bargaining is the next stage, where we may seek to make sense of the situation by imagining what could have been different. During this stage, people may try to replay every detail in their minds, only to find that nothing will change.
Depression then sets in, as we come face-to-face with the deep sadness and emptiness that accompany loss. People may have difficulty engaging in activities, and new people or they may have a lack of energy.
Finally, acceptance emerges as we begin to find a new normal and integrate the loss into our lives. This may feel like a long and hard process to go through. It’s important to remember that stages of grief are not a linear journey. Sometimes we may move forward in the steps but still fall back. This is all normal and part of the journey of processing.
Hypnotherapy can facilitate the grief process by relaxing the physical and mental tensions while changing the subconscious mind.
How can hypnotherapy techniques help with grief?
Hypnotherapy offers a compassionate approach to healing from grief and loss. Tapping into the subconscious provides a healing space to process emotions and find comfort. Through relaxation techniques, it eases physical and emotional tension, allowing for a more complete healing.
Hypnotherapy also helps uncover and address unresolved feelings, allowing a deeper sense of understanding and closure. Personalizing coping strategies can empower you on this unique journey toward acceptance and peace.
Gaining closure with hypnosis
When things end without closure, we may find ourselves constantly thinking about what happened and why. Even after a long time passes, we may feel the same intensity of emotions. This is because the subconscious mind wants to make sense of what happened before moving forward completely.
Sometimes getting the answers and gaining closure may not be as easy. In these cases, hypnosis can help us still learn from this connection and relationship. Deep on the subconscious level, we can still make amends and maybe face the person spiritually. This will facilitate the subconscious closure at least, which will help with moving forward!
Forgiveness with hypnosis
They say all forgiveness is self-forgiveness. Sometimes we don’t forgive someone or something because we still hold emotions against them. Sometimes we have difficulty forgiving ourselves for what we did or didn’t do. In all cases, these held emotions against ourselves or others make it more difficult to grieve effectively.
With hypnosis, we can first forgive ourselves subconsciously. Maybe for not knowing at the time, or maybe not doing the ideal thing. From there, we can move on to forgiving the person or the situation we are grieving. Subconsciously processing anger, frustration, and resentment can free the old attachments.
Reconnecting with a loved one from a higher perspective
Especially in the cases of losing a loved one, reconnecting with their energy can bring significant relief and a sense of fulfillment. Whether you are spiritual or not, your subconscious mind can connect with their memories and special moments at the very least.
By connecting the essence of the person subconsciously, we can still feel their presence and understand that their energy is all around us even if we may not be able to see them.
Grief processing with hypnosis
Often times people get stuck in one of the steps of grief. This may feel painful and almost like it’s never gonna end. It’s essential to process grief and loss effectively in order to move forward.
Hypnosis helps us understand where you are stuck subconsciously in the process of grief. Is it the difficult emotions? Is it not having the answers? Or perhaps it’s the never-ending depression… Wherever you are, when your subconscious mind is relieved, it’s easier to move forward.
All in all…
As much as it’s difficult to face, we all go through grief at some point. It’s just part of the natural cycle of life. Give yourself some time to adjust and let your own inner power come forward. We are all naturally programmed to adapt and heal. If you feel stuck and frustrated, it may be time to seek help from a professional.
If you feel comfortable with holistic and mind-body methods like hypnosis, you will get a chance to do the valuable subconscious work to heal and move forward!