The Empowered Therapist

TLDR: Grief does not end when life moves on. It becomes part of the landscape of who we are. When we allow it space to exist in our bodies, in our stories, and in community, we move from isolation toward connection.

Grief is not a visitor that comes and goes. It is a companion that walks beside us, sometimes quietly and sometimes loud enough to take our breath away.

For many of us, grief does not look the way we thought it would. It is not linear. It does not stay within the tidy boundaries of stages or timelines. One moment we might feel grounded, the next we are undone by a scent, a song, or a date on the calendar. And while it can be disorienting, this ebb and flow is part of what makes grief both human and holy.

When we resist grief, when we tell ourselves we should be over it or minimize what we feel, the body keeps holding it. Unprocessed grief becomes tension in the shoulders, an ache in the chest, or a sense of disconnection that is hard to name. It might look like irritability, avoidance, or the inability to rest. This is not weakness. It is evidence of how deeply our system longs for integration.

Grief is residual energy, the body’s way of storing what could not be released at the time of loss. It lingers not because we are broken, but because we are built for attachment. Our nervous system does not simply erase the bonds that mattered most. It carries them forward, seeking new ways to express love and continuity.

Culturally, we are not taught to honor this process. We rush it, avoid it, and often feel ashamed when grief reappears years later. Yet the truth is, grief is cyclical. It resurfaces as our capacity expands, inviting us to feel what once felt impossible. Each return is not a setback. It is an opening.

And perhaps the most profound thing about grief is that it connects us. It is one of the most universal human experiences, yet most of us experience it in silence. We fear burdening others or assume no one will understand. But grief, when shared, becomes a bridge. It transforms from private suffering into collective empathy.

Imagine a world where grief was not a taboo but a language. Where our tears were met with care instead of discomfort. Where we could honor our own heartbreak and the grief of others without turning away.

This is the invitation of embodied grief: to let it move through us instead of getting trapped within us. To give it voice, form, and presence. To allow it to remind us that love does not end where life changes, rather, we carry the love we feel right alongside our sadness. It is through this total acceptance that we can allow all of ourselves and our feelings to exist.

Dear one, grief is not asking you to let go. It is asking you to let it belong.

When we make space for grief, we make space for life to continue unfolding, not in spite of loss, but because of it.

Thank you for letting me see you,