Grief Dreams Podcast

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/

E174 - Gregor Collins - The Accidental Caregiver

Gregor Collins is an author, speaker, actor and contributor living in New York. He started his career in Los Angeles producing reality TV before shifting gears to acting, performing on stage, on television and in independent feature films. His writing and acting have been featured in “The Los Angeles Times,” “The Guardian,” “Huffington Post,” “Publishers Weekly,” “Cinema Editor Magazine” and others, as well as on Off-Broadway stages across New York. Collins travels the globe with his memoir ”The Accidental Caregiver: How I Met, Loved and Lost Legendary Holocaust Refugee Maria Altmann,” sharing with audiences his experience caring for Altmann, who was portrayed by Helen Mirren in the movie ”Woman in Gold.” (2015). His newest book released this year is The accidental caregiver Part 2: Saying YES to a world without Altmann. Collins also created and curates ”Humans in My Phone,” an ongoing micro-documentary series featuring the humans in his phone.

 

In this episode we talk about how he became a caregiver, caregiving for Maria Altmann, developing a memorable bond with her, grieving her loss, travelling to Austria in her memory, writing his two books, finding hope again after loss, and grief dreams of her.

 

You can find more about Gregor at www.gregorcollins.com or follow him on Instagram (@gregorgcollins)

E173 - Dr. Kimberly Mascaro - Announcing Dreams

Dr. Kimberly R. Mascaro wears many hats, in addition to her role as a psychologist. Dr. Mascaro has worked in the fields of mental/behavioral health (having supervised outpatient clinics and other therapeutic programs), as well as higher education, for over 20 years. She holds a license to practice psychotherapy in the state of California. Her primary focus is on women’s issues – in particular, navigating life’s big transitions, as well as treating trauma, anxiety, and grief/loss. She integrates many areas of her training and experience, including traditional talk therapies with art, dreamwork, hypnotherapy, meditation (such as yoga nidra), and somatic approaches. As for research and writing, Dr. Mascaro’s most recent publication is Extraordinary Dreams: Visions, Announcements and Premonitions Across time and Place (2018, McFarland). Dr. Mascaro gives presentations and leads workshops nationally and internationally.

 

In this episode we talk about announcing dreams, the power of dreams, how she started valuing dreams, hosting and speaking at the Dreamwork Summit (Oct. 13-16, 2020), and grief dreams of her relatives and Anthony Bourdain.

 

To find more about Kimberly, you can visit www.consciouschimera.com

To register for the Dreamwork Summit visit https://thedreamworksummit.com/

 

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/

E171 - Patricia de Picciotto - Neshama Journey

Patricia de Picciotto was born in Hong Kong from Lebanese parents, and raised in Geneva, Switzerland until she graduated from college with a BA in Marketing and Communication. She then spent a couple of years in London to study for her GIA (graduate gemologist) and worked in Jewelry. Patricia then lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for ten years, where she met her husband, had three kids and founded a jewelry line, Pasha Joias. She moved to New York over five years ago, where she became an art guide in the City. Since her mother’s passing after a two year battle with pancreatic cancer, she is dedicated to normalize grief and raise grief consciousness through her @neshamajourney project on Instagram and beyond. 

 

In this episode we talk about living in multiple places, being in Brazil with her mother, her love of art history, her mother and stepfather getting sick, the death of her stepfather and mother, the Jewish funeral and mourning process, grief dreams of her mother, and her Instagram account.

E170 - Jason Wendroff-Rawnicki - The Power of Smell

Jason Wendroff-Rawnicki is a certified yoga educator and dōTERRA Essential Oil specialist, who has a MA in psychology. He co-founded Shine Yoga Center in New Jersey and travels nationally & internationally leading classes, workshops, retreats and educating about the benefits and powers of essential oils. In June of 1998, his sister Lauren died in a car accident. Knowing that he needed more than talk therapy to deal with his grief, Jason turned toward a body-centered approach. Yoga, meditation, mindfulness, healthy lifestyle and essential oils became that path towards recovery.

 

In this episode we talk about essential oils, the power of smell after loss, the death of his sister, volunteering with compassionate friends, and grief dreams of his sister.

 

You can find more on Jason here:

FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/jason.wendroffrawnicki

FaceBook: Sibling Support - https://www.facebook.com/groups/tcfsibs/?ref=share

Website: https://www.mydoterra.com/shineyogacenter/

Instagram: OilmanJason

Twitter: @ShineYogaNJ

Email: jason@shineyogacenter.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/

E168 - Lindsey Whissel Fenton - Speaking Grief

Lindsey Whissel Fenton is a senior producer at WPSU, the PBS/NPR affiliate station in Central Pennsylvania. She’s an Emmy award-winning storyteller who is passionate about using public media to build empathy. Lindsey produced, directed, and wrote the documentary Speaking Grief and continues to produce content for the initiative’s website and social media presence. 

 

In this episode we talk about Shotokan karate, how karate relates to grief, the Speaking Grief documentary, learning to speak grief, holding space for grief, grief dreams mentioned within the documentary interviews, and her own grief.

 

To view the Speaking Grief documentary (starting August 30, 2020) visit https://speakinggrief.org/

 

SOCIAL MEDIA:

Facebook: @wpsugrief

Instagram: @wpsugrief

E167 - Julie Rennie - A Conversation With Dr. Black's Mother

Julie Rennie has done Accounting and Income Tax for most of her career primarily as a self-employed individual and currently runs a law practice as a Licensed Paralegal out of Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. Julie married Mark Black (Dr. Joshua Black’s father) in 1977 spending the next few decades as Julie Black. The positive blessings and outcomes from this marriage were building her faith in God and being a mother to her 4 children: Rebecca, Nathaniel, Joshua and Rachel. The marriage suffered challenges based on Mark’s excessive consumption of alcohol and poor coping skills. After the marriage ended, Julie remarried John Rennie. 

 

In this episode we talk about the death of her grandmother, meeting Mark, their relationship, her health issues, being more open about her struggles, processing her emotions, and Mark's death.

 

 

You can find more about Julie’s paralegal practice at http://julierennieparalegal.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/

 

E165 - Flora Baker - The Adult Orphan Club

Flora Baker is a travel writer and author from London, UK. Flora was 20 years old when her mum died suddenly of breast cancer, and 29 when her dad died of fibrosis. After a decade of grieving, Flora now uses her personal narrative writing and her online presence to engage with the global grief community and help others through their own experiences of loss. Flora’s new book, ‘The Adult Orphan Club’, is a part memoir, part guide to grief which aims to be a companion to those coping with bereavement. 

 

In this episode we talk about her love of travelling around the world, the death of her parents, her grief journey, traveling to cope after loss, her new book ‘The Adult Orphan Club’, her Instagram video, and grief dreams of her parents.

 

You can read more from Flora at www.floratheexplorer.com, follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @FloraBaker, and find ‘The Adult Orphan Club’ on Amazon. 

E164 - Philip Goldberg - Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times

Philip Goldberg is the author or co-author of some 25 books published in more than a dozen languages; a public speaker and workshop leader; a spiritual counselor, meditation teacher and ordained Interfaith Minister. A Los Angeles resident, he cohosts the Spirit Matters podcast, leads American Veda Tours and blogs regularly on Elephant Journal and Spirituality & Health. His book American Veda was named by Huffington Post and Library Journal as one of the Top 10 Religion Books of 2010; it was followed in 2018 by the popular biography The Life of Yogananda. His newest book Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times, is set to be released on August 4^th

 

In this episode we talk about his newest book Spiritual Practice for Crazy Times, becoming a writer, Paramahansa Yogananda, grief dreams of Yogananda, the love and loss of Philip’s mother, grief dreams of his mother, father, and friends.

 

 

You can find more about Philip here:

http://www.PhilipGoldberg.com

http://www.spiritmatterstalk.com

https://www.facebook.com/PhilipGoldbergAuthor/

E163 - Jane Edberg - The Fine Art of Grieving

Jane Edberg is a published writer working in poetry, flash non-fiction and memoir. She holds a Master of Fine Arts in Studio Arts. She is a retired art professor who taught Art Appreciation, Photography and Design at various Universities and spent twenty years full-time at Gavilan College. She is currently working on a hybrid memoir of images and prose called “The Fine Art of Grieving” and authors a blog and Facebook page by the same title.

 

In this episode we talk about appreciating art, feeling “the big self”, using art during the pandemic, the death of her son, writing her book The Fine Art of Grieving, finding a new perspective, creative ways we grieve through art, and grief dreams before and after the death of her son.

 

You can find more about Jane here:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thefineartofgrieving/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thefineartofgrieving

Website: https://www.thefineartofgrieving.com/

E162 - Alexa Norton - Grief Shine

Alexa Norton recently graduated from Utah Valley University in Public Relations. Alexa suffered the death of her Dad, Daryl Gene Norton, over 3 years ago in a skiing accident at Snowbird Ski Resort. She has recently started an Instagram account that focuses on the grief journey @griefshine

 

In this episode we talk about the relationship with her dad, seeing her dad as a person, her dad’s reaction to her dating, her dad’s death, the local news reporting on his death, having her wedding 3 months after his death, her grief journey, starting her Instagram Account @griefshine, and grief dreams of her dad.

E161 - Gary Alan Shockley - My Heart Sings A Sad Song

Gary Alan Shockley is an award winner artist, author and grief counselor living in Boiling Springs Pennsylvania. He has two master’s degrees, one in theology and another in Spiritual Formation and Counseling. Gary has served as a pastor and a professional Healthcare Chaplain aligned with two Inpatient Hospice Units in North Carolina where he worked with dying patients and their families. From decades of walking alongside people in their journeys of dying and of death, and supporting children in their grief, Gary published his most recent children’s book, My Heart Sings a Sad Song. Gary has also authored three books focused on leadership and spiritual development and 5 other children’s books.

 

In this episode we talk about being drawn to helping others, what those at end-of-life talk about, challenges for those at end-of-life and their family during the pandemic, children’s grief, his first experience of death as a child, his new children’s book “My Heart Sings a Sad Song”, a grief dream from a past client, and grief dreams he had of his best friend, child (from a miscarriage), and other family members who have died.

 

You can find more about Gary here:

www.hopespring.biz

www.sandartistry.com

https://www.facebook.com/gary.a.shockley

IG @Gary.a.shockley