Kristie West, Grief Specialist and friend of Final Fling
Final Fling is delighted to have Grief Specialist, Kristie West on our side.
If you have any questions about grief and loss for Kristie that might be of wider interest, contact us and we’ll share challenges and answers in here: Q+A on loss and grief.
One of the many interesting topics Kristie explores in her therapeutic work with clients as a grief specialist is whether or not we feel it’s important to hold onto pain as a way of honouring the memory of the people we’ve lost.
“If we shine some good hard logic on this, it just doesn’t stand up,” Kristie says. “If you’ve lost a parent for example and you don’t have any joy or light in your life – is that the legacy you think your mum or dad would want for you? To stop living fully, joyfully, really looking forward to living your dreams? Would that be the best way to honour them?”
Put so simply, it’s easy to begin to get the point. Quickly people who are trapped in pain can begin to see some light. Begin to realise that a better way to honour an important person gone from life is to allow their death to be part of life. To live with the volume turned up instead of turned down. Arriving at this recognition, it’s easier to begin to move towards healing. Let go of the need to hold oneself in a place of pain.
Contact the grief specialist
Kristie works with clients all over the world, counselling them, helping them live positively with loss and grief. With Kristie’s support and help, clients can come to terms with loss and begin to move on in life.
Contact Kristie here. See Kristie talk about this subject here:
Hello Kirsty
Your video on Final Fling was very compelling. As the bereaved widow of the Live of my life, I can completely agree with what you’re saying here. I can relate to the perSon’s inability to move towards healing, and that grief is honouring their loved one.
However, do you have any tips as to how one can make this shift?
I’ve existed since my husband dies – two years eight months ago. And it is just an existence. I don’t know how to move forward. I don’t know how to live, rather than just existing.
I realise this is a morbid and sad response…but that’s exactly what this feels like – and has done for 20 months. So my question is…..
How do we do this?