9 episodes
The House of Mourning: Embodied Wisdom from Grief, Loss and Trauma Joëlle Croteau-Willard
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- Health & Fitness
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5.0 • 4 Ratings
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Living through two life shaking losses, the death of her father and now the death of her second child, Joëlle explores the unique wisdom and world view that comes with lived experience of grief, loss and trauma. This podcast takes on the many truths behind what we are never told about pregnancy and infant loss and grief in general. This is a place that advocates for grief informed spaces as well as normalizing grief and mourning as a valuable and deeply meaningful process. H.O.M is also for the loved ones of grievers who want to learn how to better support to a grieving loved one.
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Unbroken: Reframing Trauma
In this episode, Mary Catherine McDonald (MC) discusses her experience with grief and loss, as well as her research on trauma. She highlights the grief-phobic nature of society and the need for more open conversations about loss. MC reframes the concept of trauma, emphasizing that the trauma response is never wrong and that shame is the real problem. She also explores the importance of relational support in healing from trauma and grief. The conversation delves into the challenges of navigating identity after a traumatic event and the need for society to acknowledge and support those who have experienced loss.
Takeaways from this episode:
Society is often grief-phobic, making it difficult for individuals to openly discuss and process their grief.
The trauma response is an adaptive mechanism that is designed to respond to extreme overwhelm and keep us alive.
Shame is the real problem when it comes to trauma and grief, as it prevents individuals from seeking help and healing.
Relational support is crucial in the healing process, and healing can happen in various relationships and settings.
Trauma and grief can lead to a loss of identity, and individuals may need to reorient themselves and redraw their map of the world.
It is important to challenge societal narratives around trauma and grief, and to recognize that healing is a unique and individual process.
Content by Chapter:
00:00 Introduction and Background
01:33 Experience with Grief and Loss
03:36The Grief-Phobic Society
08:23 The Thin Spaces of Grief
11:49 Reframing Trauma
15:30 The Concept of Brokenness
18:15 The Trauma Response is Never Wrong
21:57 The Importance of Relational Support
25:24 The Isolation Impulse
29:12 Loss of Identity
32:06 The Elephant in the Room
36:09 The Aftermath of Trauma -
Feel It To Heal It
In this episode, bereaved father Jason Dykstra speaks frankly about the partner's perspective on grief, pregnancy loss, and healing. Join us as Jason shares his insights on male-identifying folks and how often their experiences get overlooked as well as dismissed. He shares his experience learning to allow himself to stop, and intentionally feel his grief after his son Ezra was stillborn.
Jason Dykstra is a father of four as well as an international speaker, author, and coach specializing in grief, and conflict resolution.
Contact Jason Dykstra at:
https://www.jasondyk.com/
Instagram:
@jasondyk
Buy his new book:
"Welcome to the Shit Club:
A Male's Perspective on Stillbirth, Grief and Loss"
Contact Joëlle CW at:
@joellespeaks -
Grief as Soul Work
Annie Gudger lost her husband Kent tragically in a car accident and was widowed at the age of 28 while being pregnant with their son Jake. Anne shares candidly about this life shaking loss that happened 36 years ago, through the eyes of a grief holder, writer and now founder and community leader of multiple grief and loss spaces.
Annie and Joëlle explore grief as soul work; as a journey that cracks us so deeply open, we have no choice but to be working from the soul level of healing. Anne also shares about her new book, a memoir, that just came out in Sept 2023, called The Fifth Chamber. This one is not to be missed.
Anne Gudger can be found at:
Instagram: @annegudger
Facebook:
Coffee & Grief Community & Monthly Events
Podcast:
Coffee, Grief & Gratitude
30-day Grief writing group:
https://writeyourgriefout.thinkific.com/
Joëlle can be found at:
Instagram @joellespeaks
House of Mourning Blog
Youtube Channel: Joëlle CW Baby Loss & Grief -
Smashing the Myths of Grief
Join us for this powerful conversation as Ayako Gallagher and Joëlle CW discuss the myths of grief and pregnancy loss & rediscovering yourself after loss. Ayako shares candidly about what she has experienced after losing her stillborn daughter Emi. She shares what she has learned about supporting her partner as well as how she has incorporated Emi in every day of her family's life. She talks about the grief myths she has proudly smashed along the way.
Ayako is an ICF accredited Grief Coach and PILSC trained group facilitator, and more than anything she is a bereaved parent, community organizer and baby loss advocate.
Find & Follow Ayako on Social Media:
@mamasmatterhere
@emi.and.company
Her newly launched Retreat for Sping 2023 Brochure:
From Loss to Love Retreat
Find and Follow Joëlle CW on social media:
@joellespeaks
Joëlle CW's Youtube Channel -
Grief is Not Linear
Join us for this beautiful discussion with the profound Grief and Loss Educator, Expert, Author, and Psychologist - Dr. Mekel Harris.
Joëlle and Dr. Mekel explore the impacts of grief and loss on the corporate workplaces as well as the impacts of the pandemic and the grief that has emerged because of it.
Dr. Mekel shares about one of the biggest falsehoods that we have been lead to believe in grief: that grief in fact is NOT linear. She shares candidly about her own loss of her mother, and later her father as well. Lots of gems to uncover in this one!
@drmekel
@growwithbloomwell
https://mekelharrisphd.com/ -
Grief as Transformation: Honouring Jacob
Join us for a heartfelt, raw conversation about the realities behind infertility, pregnancy loss & a couples journey to uncover their feelings about being childlessness, and not by choice. Jessica Van Wyen shares her beautiful baby boy Jacob with us, what she went through to become his mama, and also all she went through in and after losing him. Jessica shares her journey to give back through working in the Pregnancy and Infant Loss community with an incredible Californian Perinatal Loss Charity (RTZ: Hope).
Follow Jess on Instagram:
@jessvanwyen
Work with Jessica and Return to Zero: Hope Charity here:
https://rtzhope.org/register
https://rtzhope.org/support-group-facilitators
Customer Reviews
Grief Explored
This podcast - wow.
I have only listened now to episode 9 Unbroken: Reframing Trauma and as a person who has experienced great amount of childhood trauma and the loss of my son in 2015, I can tell you our society / families are grief-phobic indeed!
Healing through loss is the equivalent of passing through a portal and finding yourself inside some other immutable landscape of isolation and suffering, even if prepared is difficult to traverse without massive amounts of empathetic support and comfort, and I’m not talking about a pot of soup.
We need to restructure how loss impacts relationships and the societal narratives that cause so much damage and more suffering.
It’s as if it is somehow contagious and not ok to approach someone experiencing loss.
Joelle’s courage to witness her own and others grief and offering insights, empathy and wisdom is a powerful tool to assist and thank god I found this podcast! I appreciate the straight forward approach to a deeply meaningful process. Joelle exposes the tragic truths and taboos that surround what it means to offer connection and is helpful, supportive and compassionate - who doesn’t need that when grieving - because we will all lose someone or something and loss is a lonely experience but we can change that with some helpful reframing away from shame and isolation! ❤️
Joelle does the hard work of facing grief
Fantastic podcast where Joelle takes an mature approach to addressing grief. There are no shortcuts, no buzz words and no platitudes that cure all wounds in real life. Thank you for you time creating this space where we I can learn the vocabulary and skills to navigate my own grief and support others in grief, and thank you for honoring your son - and the your guest’s family members here.
Can’t Wait for More
I know from personal experience after pregnancy loss that grief can feel so lonely and difficult to navigate. Knowing someone you love is grieving can feel uncomfortable and overwhelming because you don’t know how to help. I’m excited for this podcast to make space to normalize grieving and to learn from people’s experiences with grief, without unhelpful toxic positivity. The introduction episode immediately drew me to the host and her mission. I’m looking forward to listening more!