Mar 2, 2017
Teacher, speaker, and psychotherapist, Megan Devine, has been stirring up our culture’s ideas around grief and loss since 2009. That’s the year she started down the path of personal wisdom and expertise because in that year, on a beautiful sunny day, she witnessed the accidental drowning of her beloved partner Matt. At that moment, all of her professional experience as a therapist became meaningless. What she found in processing her own grief, was that grief literature is loaded with well-intended advice that can actually worsen and extend someone’s pain. “We just don’t know how to handle loss in our culture.”
Since then, Megan has dedicated herself to helping people find a new way to deal with loss that honors their experience without trying to “solve” grief. Much of her work involves processing through writing and journaling, our lifestyle practice in the Whole Life Challenge this week, which is why I originally invited her onto the podcast
She's the author of the book, It's OK That You're Not OK: Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture That Doesn't Understand, and is known for her practical, no-nonsense approach to grief, and for her ability to guide people inside some of the most devastating experiences of life and love. She’s an outspoken advocate of emotional intelligence, and the skills needed to love each other better – no matter what life brings.
I know this isn’t an easy topic, but it’s one that holds so much value for us in that we’ve all, in some way shape or form dealt with, or will have to deal with the loss of someone or something we love.
There is so much value in Megan’s work, I don’t know where to begin. Can’t recommend this one enough. Here are some of the topics from our conversation:
- Grief - an access point to our authentic self
- The uncomfortableness of being around someone else who’s grieving, and how to do it
- Using writing to access your authentic thoughts and feelings
- Journaling and writing as a place to tell the truth - because for all of us, the truth needs to be spoken, (though maybe not out loud.)
- The benefit of not labeling yourself “a writer”, or expecting yourself to be good at it
- The use of a timer and a specific, pre-defined length of time to assist your efforts
- Writing prompts that work to access your right brain and creative mind.
- How to get through your resistance to writing.
- Grief is not a blessing, but it delivers a path straight to your heart and can be beautiful.
- Gratitude as a companion to grief, not as a replacement.
- Managing your own sense of helplessness when around others in pain.
- If you really want to be of service to someone in pain, show up and be uncomfortable.
- Journaling each day for checking in with yourself.
For the full write up with resources, links and contact info, please visit www.wholelifechallenge.com/podcast.