Grief

What is the difference between grief and trauma?

What is the difference between grief and trauma? Photo by Bonnie Dalrymple

At a time when more lives are being turned upside down, and as we look towards how to respond, it’s important to understand: what is the difference between grief and trauma? In the last few weeks our screens have been bombarded with news of floods, war and the continuation of … Read more

Melbourne study confirms intense suffering for families of those dying in nursing homes during Covid-19

Melbourne study confirms extra suffering for families of those dying in nursing homes during Covid-19 - Photo by Patricia Prudente on Unsplash

The families of those dying in residential aged care experienced intense levels of stress and suffering because of Covid-19 lockdowns, research from Melbourne confirms. While the research acknowledges something reported all over the world, the authors believe it is the first Australian qualitative study of the issues. Dr Paul Yates … Read more

Fab Five at Queer Eye help Craw-Zaddy overcome his grief.

Craw-Zaddy overcomes grief with Queer Eyes' Fab Five - the gorgeous boys

Todd Maddox, restaurateur and owner of Plooky’s Cajun Boilin’ Pot, Canyon Lake, Texas, USA, becomes imprisoned in grief – before Queer Eye’s Fab Five rescue him – sharing his story and showing us how to rescue ourselves from the same traps. We’ve become addicted to Netflix’s new Queer Eye, with … Read more

My father died on Wednesday.

Dear reader, It’s Christmas Day and my father died on Wednesday. It was not unexpected but the enormity of it is so vast I haven’t yet reached the other side. I have tried several times to write something for you about it. I think this is important because the purpose … Read more

Climate grief is a real thing.

Climate grief is the grief felt over ecological losses

By Julia Grieves. In the wake of COP26 and widespread critique around the extent of its latest pledges, many Australians join others around the world in feeling increasingly disturbed by alarming predictions of future climate crisis. Climate grief, also known as ecological grief, has been defined as the grief felt … Read more

Menopause and My Ticking Clock

Menopause and my ticking clock

If I had been given just some notice that suddenly one night my sex drive would be switched off, I would have made sure I enjoyed some last hurrahs. I was just forty-one when I experienced menopause. I had relatively few symptoms to warn me and those I had, I … Read more

Red Dust Healing

Uncle Tom Powell holding workshop image 'The tree'

Historically, Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and their communities haven’t been appropriately supported when it comes to managing their experiences of grief over their life experiences – often ones of suffering at the hands of the non-Indigenous. SASCHA COSTIGAN shares the story of Red Dust Healing, a program achieving … Read more

Sue Lennox and Resilient Communities

A workshop with Bellingen's OzGreen Resilient Communities

By Julia Grieves When Sue Lennox and Anton Juodvalkis put their heads together because of a growing concern about the threats to their community posed by climate change, they had no idea how soon they would need to step up. However their action meant they were ready to go when … Read more

GaryScribbler Finds Joy

Gary Andrews aka Gary Scribbler

When illustrator, filmmaker and actor Gary Andrews lost his wife, Joy, unexpectedly finding himself raising his two children alone, it was natural for him to find refuge in creativity. He decided to draw a doodle a day and started by simply drawing a broken heart. And that’s how he began … Read more

Zooming in on grief via webinar

As grief counsellor Nathan MacArthur completed his PhD on grief he knew people going through this common experience needed more. “I found people wanted more quality information about what grief looks like and they wanted to explore the aspects of grief that are most difficult, such as the taboos that … Read more

Matthew’s heart-warming story of post-traumatic growth.

After Matthew read Sandra’s Good Grief! story “Beyond casseroles: a widower’s guide to moving forward” at: http://good-grief.com.au/beyond-casseroles-a-widowers-guide-to-moving-forward/ he was inspired to get in touch. In a moment strangely resonant of Sydney’s current lockdown, in April last year he allowed us to publish his grief story. He began a period of … Read more

Writing Grief Heals

Photo by Annie Spratt, Unsplash

by Sandra Moon Writing about grief is a way to honour and remember loved ones beyond our typical cultural rituals says Karen Crofts, Director of the Hunter Writers Centre. “For people who do write about grief the writing process helps them because it makes them take the time to remember. … Read more

Believe your eyes

Believe your eyes - a still from Darnella Frazier's video

It’s a pretty simple proposition. ‘Believe your eyes”, the prosecutor tells the jury of the 9 ½ minute video of George Floyd being killed by policeman Derek Chauvin. Often we’re encouraged to doubt what we see on film and video – because clips can be doctored. But not in this … Read more

Good grief: how can we make it easier to talk about death?

Julia Craig's story, about helping others deal with grief grief, features in a recent issue of stuff.co.nz - Photo by Rosa Woods.

Yes, this is our mantra too. We shared the link to this story in our March newsletter. “For many people, grief is private – and shameful. Two young women want to bring it out of the shadows,” writes Jehan Casinader, in this piece of Feb 27,  from www.stuff.co.nz Jehan’s piece looks at gaps … Read more

Of droughts and flooding plains.

Sadly, one person has died in the NSW floods. Our hearts go out to the young man’s family. The 25-year-old got trapped in his car at Glenorie, a place we know and love. News reports say he was caught by suddenly rising flood waters on Cattai Ridge Road. We’re thinking … Read more

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