Episode #15 (Trauma Series Ep. #4): The "Gifts in Grief" Artwork

Exposing Grief with Brittany Squillace

Welcome to the Exposing Grief podcast! This podcast is a branch of my Exposing Grief educational YouTube channel. The mission remains the same; I continue to remove the stigma of grief and expose if for what it truly is which is a natural and healthy way of living and loving. The podcast branch is different in that instead of receiving education in the way you typically would from the YouTube channel, you will be getting a different type of education (and in a different way) for your grief journey via hearing and witnessing the grief work being done from others who have (and are currently) walking through and navigating their own grief journey. In listening to this podcast, you will step into a world where grief is not only welcomed but accepted and encouraged. A world that will have you feeling surrounded by and comforted from my guests who are sharing their own grief stories with you; removing that feeling of being alone in this unbelievably tough journey. Not only will you find hope within your own grief experience but you may even be inspired to discover what honoring your grief journey looks like. Join me as we break the stigma of grief and create a world accepting of grief one episode at a time!

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Exposing Grief with Brittany Squillace

Episode #15 (Trauma Series Ep. #4): The "Gifts in Grief"

October 24, 2022 • Brittany Squillace • Episode 15

"I knew the grief process started because of how my body was reacting and how my emotions were flowing. I didn't start actually doing the trauma work until about 6 months to a year later because it didn't even occur to me to look there."

Trauma within grief isn't always easy to identify. Maybe there is no trauma to identify or maybe your experience is similar to my guest, Ashley's, story in which she didn't recognize trauma was present until much later. Despite delayed awareness of trauma's presence, the impact of trauma on your grief journey doesn't lessen.

Join me this week as I talk with Ashley about the traumatic encounter that sent her into a grieving journey. She normalizes experiences of:

How trauma shows up; particularly its influence on the body
Behavioral changes following the traumatic event

Ashley also talks about the ambiguous/living losses stemming from the traumatic encounter. She speaks to losses such as:

Identity loss
Loss of safety

If you're processing a traumatic event, there may also be elements of loss that deserved to be grieved. Tune into this week's episode to begin validating your experience.

There were many resources mentioned throughout today's episode. As promised, I've listed them all below for your convenience:

The Body Keeps the Score: Brain, Mind, and Body in the Healing of Trauma
The Gift of Fear
Blog Article: "Am I Going Crazy?"
Exposing Grief Podcast Episode #14 "It Could've Been A Lot Better" (addressing the comparison trap briefly mentioned in today's episode)

If you'd like to learn more about Ashley or are curious about working with her, visit her website or check her out on social media. For more of her guidance on healing your trauma, be sure to listen to her Free Your Heart podcast as well!

If you resonated with this episode and you believe someone else would benefit from listening, please share it! I'd also love for you to connect with me on Instagram @exposing_grief so I can thank you personally for playing a big part in removing the stigma of grief and creating a world where it is accepted and welcomed.

If you're in need of guidance around your grief journey, or would like to connect further, I encourage you to take advantage of my FREE 30 minute consultation to begin exploring what walking and honoring your grief journey with me might look like.

If you're not quite ready for this step, I invite you to check out my grief blog and Exposing Grief YouTube Channel for great free resources that will assist you along your journey.

I love connecting with my listeners any chance I can! Feel free to email me (bsquillace@bestselftherapy.net) with any questions or comments you may have.