Grief Dreams Podcast

E204 - Autumn Toelle-Jackson - Boldly into the Darkness

Autumn Toelle-Jackson is a wife, widow, mother, and survivor. The loss of a husband, a beloved cousin and mentor, her daughter, and miscarriages have left scars on her soul and memorial tattoos on her body, but Autumn learned to grow through it all. She wrote Boldly into the Darkness: Living with Loss, Growing with Grief & Holding onto Happiness to share her story and let others who are grieving know they aren't alone, and even with loss there is hope. Autumn and her family created Growing with Grief to provide those who are grieving with a place to find community, resources, and help.

 

In this episode we talk about her miscarriages, the death of her daughter and husband, memorial tattoos, learning to feel her grief, her book, and grief dreams of her husband.

 

You can find more about Autumn at www.growingwithgrief.com and on Instagram @growingwithgrief

 

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You can find more about Grief Dreams here:

 

Our website – www.griefdreams.ca - where you can find links to the podcast. 

 

Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams

 

Clubhouse - @Griefdreams (Note: we have 2 clubs you can join - Grief Dreams and Grief Café)

 

Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group

 

To support the podcast on Pateron visit https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast

E203 - Heike Mertins - Grief is...

Heike Mertins is an author, blogger and speaker. She is the author of “Grief is...Thoughts on loss, struggle and new beginnings” (2017), which chronicles her journey through the bizarre, frustrating and at times humorous world of incomprehensible loss. Following the death of her brother and husband, Heike began to document the process of loss, emotion and healing that accompanies a momentous life change.

 

In this episode we talk about the death of her brother, husband, and mother, the little things in grief that are not talked about, her book about grief, sleep changes and triggers after loss, humorous aspects in grief, and grief dreams of her husband.

 

You can find more about Heike at https://heikemertins.com/

 

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You can find more about Grief Dreams here:

 

Our website – www.griefdreams.ca - where you can find links to the podcast. 

 

Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams

 

Clubhouse - @Griefdreams (Note: we have 2 clubs you can join - Grief Dreams and Grief Café)

 

Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group

 

To support the podcast on Pateron visit https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast

 

E201 - Guest Update - Heather Stang

In this guest update episode, we talk with Heather Stang from Episode 119. Heather is the author of Mindfulness & Grief and the now released guided journal, From Grief To Peace. She is the founder of the Mindfulness & Grief Institute, where she facilitates Awaken, a mindfulness-based online group, offers individual sessions, and hosts the Mindfulness & Grief Podcast. Heather holds a master’s degree in Thanatology from Hood College and is a Certified Yoga Therapist.

 

In this episode we talk about the death of her dog (Monster) and estranged grandmother, the power of animals in our lives, continuing bonds and finding new meaning after pet loss, adopting her new dog, her grief dream of Monster, and her new guided journal.

 

You can find more about Heather at mindfulnessandgrief.com

 

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You can find more about Grief Dreams here:

 

Our website – www.griefdreams.ca - where you can find links to the podcast. 

 

Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams

 

Clubhouse - @Griefdreams (Note: we have 2 clubs you can join - Grief Dreams and Grief Café)

 

Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group

 

To support the podcast on Pateron visit https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast

E199 - Caitlin Garvey - The Mourning Report

Caitlin Garvey is a writer and English professor in Chicago. She has an MFA in creative writing from Northwestern University and an MA in English Literature from DePaul University. Her work has been published in Post Road Magazine, Little Fiction: Big Truths, The Baltimore Review, The Tishman Review, and others. Her debut memoir, The Mourning Report, is about losing her mother to cancer and collecting the stories of the people who played a role in her mother's care.

 

In this episode we talk about her relationship with her mother, navigating through university while grieving, attempting suicide, finding purpose and direction, her new book ‘The Mourning Report’, interviewing others about her mother, and grief dreams of her mother.

 

You can find more about Caitlin at https://www.caitlinhogangarvey.com/

 

 

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You can find more about Grief Dreams here:

 

Our website – www.griefdreams.ca - where you can find links to the podcast. 

 

Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams

 

Clubhouse - @Griefdreams (Note: we have 2 clubs you can join - Grief Dreams and Grief Café)

 

Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group

 

To support the podcast on Pateron visit https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast

 

 

E195 - Julie Potter - Harnessing the Power of Grief

Julie Potter is a certified social worker who has experience in home care, hospice, nursing homes and hospitals. For 20 years, she turned her expertise toward coordinating a spousal bereavement program, as well as a hospital-based wellness program for people 60 and over. She has recently released the book “Harnessing the Power of Grief”.

 

In this podcast we talk about being a social worker, burnout in the field, starting a spousal bereavement program, the death of her parents, her book, and grief dreams of her parents.

 

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You can find more about Grief Dreams here:

 

Our website – www.griefdreams.ca - where you can find links to the podcast. 

 

Instagram and Twitter - @Griefdreams

 

Clubhouse - @Griefdreams (Note: we have 2 clubs you can join - Grief Dreams and Grief Café)

 

Facebook – Grief Dreams Podcast Page and Grief Dreams Group

 

To support the podcast on Pateron visit https://www.patreon.com/griefdreamspodcast

E192 - Mike Bernhardt - Voices of the Grieving Heart

When Mike Bernhardt’s wife died in 1991, he turned to writing poetry as a tool of healing. He later solicited the poetry of other people whose loved ones had died, receiving hundreds of submissions from around the world. The result was Voices of the Grieving Heart, first published in 1994. The new, expanded edition contains over 160 selected poems, essays, and images by 83 contributors who share their journeys through loss, grief, and transformation. After retiring in 2016 from a career in IT, he began to write a travel blog and essays. His award-winning work has appeared in Deep Travel: Souvenirs from the Inner Journey, DIVER Magazine, and many other print and online publications.

 

In this episode we talk about meeting this first wife, her death, his grieving process, dating after loss, writing his book, grief dreams in the book, and his grief dreams of his wife.

 

You can find more about Mike here: https://mikebernhardt.net

E191 - Guest Update - Pennie Hunt

In this guest update episode, we talk with Pennie Hunt from Episode 102. Pennie is an Author/Columnist/Speaker. She just released her new book, “Love Your Life - No Matter What - 76 Tips to Journey Through Grief and Loss.”

 

In this episode we talk about her new book and any new grief dreams she has had.

 

You can find more about Pennie here: www.PennieHunt.com

E181 - Dr. Leslie Ellis - Dream Talk

Dr. Leslie Ellis is a teacher, author, and psychotherapist. She is currently offering online dream work instruction based on her book, A Clinician’s Guide to Dream Therapy (published in 2019). She also offers individual dream work sessions and training in somatic approaches to psychotherapy. Leslie has a PhD in Clinical Psychology from the Chicago School of Professional Psychology and a Masters from Pacific Graduate Institute. She is vice president and a Certifying Coordinator with The International Focusing Institute.

 

In this episode we talk about her interest in dreams, the benefits of dream work, how dreams reflect waking life, pandemic dreams, grief dreams, possible dreams over the holidays, pet loss, her ambiguous loss with the disappearance of her cat, and the dreams she had of him afterwards.

 

You can find more about Dr. Ellis here https://drleslieellis.com/

 

Her blog post of grief dreams can be found here https://drleslieellis.com/how-your-dreams-help-you-grieve-2/

 

 

E179 - Allison Gilbert - Grief During the Holidays

Allison Gilbert is an Emmy award-winning journalist, author, workshop leader, and keynote speaker. She is the author of Passed and Present: Keeping Memories of Loved Ones Alive, and the critically acclaimed books Parentless Parents: How the Loss of Our Mothers and Fathers Impacts the Way We Raise Our Children, and Always Too Soon: Voices of Support for Those Who Have Lost Both Parents. She is also co-editor of Covering Catastrophe, the definitive historical record of how broadcast journalists covered 9/11. Allison’s work has been featured in The New York Times, The Atlantic, The Huffington Post, and on NPR, CNN, FOX, MSNBC, CBS, and ABC. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the National Alliance for Grieving Children and the Advisory Board for the Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors, the preeminent national organization providing grief support to families of America’s fallen heroes.

 

In this episode we talk about grieving during the holidays during the pandemic, being supportive for a friend who is grieving, the importance of word choice, holiday activities for children to remember those who have died, her new online courses, the death of her mom and dad, and grief dreams.

 

You can learn more about Allison here: www.allisongilbert.com.

E177 - Matthew Bocchi - Sway

At the age of nine, Matthew Bocchi’s father died in 2001 on 9/11 in the World Trade Center. He began an obsessive quest to find out exactly how he died. Now, twenty-eight and sober, he teaches a clear and intricate lesson: no matter how far you fall, you can always rise again. No matter how far you stray, you can always find your way home. And no matter how wide you sway, you can always pick up the pieces and stand tall. His new book "Sway" is a unique story full of heartbreak and despair, grief and uncertainty, but most importantly, happiness.

 

In this episode we talk about the death of his father on 9/11, issues trying to process the death as a child (e.g., trying to figure the cause of death at the same time being a victim of sexual abuse), using drugs to cope, the experience of overcoming his addictions, finding happiness again, writing his new book "Sway", and grief dreams of his father.

 

You can find this podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify, Podbean.com (https://griefdreamspodcast.podbean.com), and many other podcasting platforms.

E176 - Sherrie Dunlevy - How Can I Help?

Sherrie Dunlevy is a best selling author, speaker, podcaster, inspirationinsta, and grieving mom. Her best selling book is called “How Can I Help?: Your go-to guide for helping loved ones through life’s difficulties.” Sherrie is the host of the “Graduating Grief” podcast. Sherrie has also designed a Graduating Grief program and community for women.

 

In this episode we talk about her career as a TV news anchor, the death of her 29 day old child, the difficulties reporting the news while grieving, her secondary losses after his death (e.g., friendships ending), why she wanted to write the book “How Can I Help?”, how we can help others after a loss, and grief dreams.

 

You can find more about Sherrie here: www.SherrieDunlevy.com

E175 - Tamsin Grainger - Shiatsu and Grief

Tamsin Grainger is a touch therapist based in Edinburgh, Scotland, and has worked in this area for 30 years. She specializes in Shiatsu, a Japanese acupressure massage modality. In 2000, Tamsin opened The Shiatsu School Edinburgh (training professional and post graduate practitioners, and beginners). She was the Chair and a board member for the Shiatsu Society (UK) and is a member of the Complementary and Natural healthcare Council (UK). Additionally, she teaches Shiatsu internationally. Tamsin just released her first book, Working with Death and Loss in Shiatsu Practice, a guide to holistic bodywork in palliative care.

 

In this episode we talk about her journey into Shiatsu, grief and Shiatsu, giving Shiatsu to her father before he died, her new book, her miscarriage experiences, the continuing bond with her father and challenges with forgiveness, and grief dreams of her father and unborn children.

 

You can find more about Tamsin here:

Website: http://shiatsu.ryoho.co.uk/

Blog: https://shiatsu690.com/

Facebook: TamsinShiatsu

LinkedIn: Tamsin Grainger

Twitter: @tamsinshiatsu

Pinterest: Tamsin Grainger

 

You can find a qualified Shiatsu practitioner here:

Canada - http://www.shiatsupractor.org/aboutshiatsu.html and https://www.shiatsutherapy.ca/

USA - https://aobta.org/ 

UK - https://www.shiatsusociety.org/

E172 - Guest Update - Shelby Forsythia

In this guest update episode we talk with Shelby Forsythia from episodes 52 and 130. Shelby is the author of Your Grief, Your Way and Permission to Grieve and podcast host of Coming Back: Conversations on Life After Loss. After the unexpected death of her mother in 2013, she became a “student of grief” and set out on a lifetime mission to explore the oft-misunderstood human experience of loss. Through her books, podcast, and live events, she helps grieving people reclaim their power and peace of mind after devastating loss. Shelby is also a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist®, Reiki Level II Practitioner, and Intuitive Grief Guide. Her work has been featured on Huffington Post, Bustle, and The Oprah Magazine.

 

In this episode we talk about her new book “Your Grief, Your Way”, the process of writing it during the pandemic, specific entries in the book, and the topic of grief dreams.

 

You can find more about Shelby at https://www.shelbyforsythia.com/

E169 - Barron Steffen - The Final Gift

Barron Steffen is a longtime student on the spiritual path of Siddha Yoga, a big band crooner, and a widower. He has been a big wave surfer, a 1980s Italian pop singer, and an award-winning elementary school teacher. Steffen has now fully transitioned from the elementary school classroom to his company, The Yoga of Mindset, where he teaches children and adults how to use their thoughts so they're not used by them. Barron recently published the book The Final Gift of the Beloved: Her Disappearance-13 Days 

 

In this episode we talk about his interest in Siddha Yoga, the death of his wife, the 13 days after, finding meaning after the loss, his book, and grief dreams of his wife.

 

You can find more about Barron here https://www.barronsteffen.com/

E166 - Dr. T.J. Wray - Grief Dreams and the Bible

Dr. T.J. Wray is a Professor of Religious Studies at Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island where she teaches a diverse array of classes, ranging from grief and loss to women of the Bible. A prolific writer, Dr. Wray is the author of many articles and books, including the best-selling “Surviving the Death of a Sibling: Living Through Grief When an Adult Brother or Sister Dies” and “Grief Dreams: How They Help Heal Us After the Death of a Loved One”. A popular biblical scholar, she has also written: "The Birth of Satan: Tracing the Devil's Biblical Roots; "Good Girls, Bad Girls: The Enduring Lessons of Twelve Women of the Old Testament"; "Good Girls, Bad Girls of the New Testament"; "What the Bible Really Tells Us: The Essential Guide for Biblical Literacy". Dr. Wray has appeared on National Public Radio, several documentaries on the History Channel, and various other television and radio programs across the country and abroad. An intrepid traveler, she has lead tours to biblical lands, studied at the Tantur Ecumenical Institute in Jerusalem and participated in archaeological excavations in Israel.

 

In this episode we talk about becoming a biblical scholar, dreams and grief in the Bible, the birth of the Devil in the Bible, the death of her brother, grief after the death of an adult sibling, and grief dreams of her brother.

 

You can find more information about Dr. T.J. Wray at

www.tjwrayauthor.com and www.thegrievingsibling.com

 

Here is the Next Avenue article we discussed on the podcast: What Are Grief Dreams? https://www.nextavenue.org/what-are-grief-dreams/