Mythology, Pottery, and Writing as Tools to Partner with Your Grief with Edy Nathan

I'm thrilled to introduce Edy Nathan, a fascinating voice in the field of grief, loss, and trauma. Her expertise extends beyond that of traditional therapy, weaving together psychology, creative expression, and even mythology to help people understand and live with their grief—including the often-unspoken experience of sexual grief.

We discuss Edy's views on the importance of silence in building a relationship with our voice, distinguishing between purposeful quietness that allows self-discovery and externally imposed silence that stifles one's voice. Edy also shares her struggles with anxiety and grief, where she opens up about the agoraphobia she experienced after her mother’s death and how discovering pottery helped her open up to creative expression as a tool for healing from deep-seated trauma. 

Myths and stories also play a pivotal role in Edy's creative and therapeutic experience. Drawing from the works of Joseph Campbell and Carl Jung, she explains how these collective symbols help individuals connect their personal narratives to universal truths. In her clinical practice, Edy uses these stories to help clients reframe their traumatic experiences and find a path to healing and self-love. 

Through this conversation, listeners will gain valuable insights into reclaiming their voices after experiencing trauma, understanding their grief, and embracing creativity as a healing tool. I encourage everyone to explore Edy's work for a deeper understanding of the journey from grief to self-love.  

Key Topics:

• Digging into Edy’s unique bio
• Having our voices quieted vs. using silence to help us find and claim our voice
• Grief is often an uninvited guest that’s with us from birth
• How Edy discovered pottery as a form of healing from her own grief
• Opening her pottery studio and exploring the art as a form of therapy more deeply
• Why myths and stories are so important to her work as a creative and as a clinician
• How Edy weaves the concepts of myth into a clinical setting when helping clients deal with trauma
• How Edy’s voice lessons have shifted and changed throughout her life
• Processing trauma and abuse through writing
• What creatives can discover about themselves by interrogating their own process
• Reimagining a different outcome as a way to heal from traumatic experience 

Connect with Edy online:

Website: https://edynathan.com/

Books: https://edynathan.com/book/

Find more from Jill:

Email: jill@thewritersrefuge.com

Website: https://www.thewritersrefuge.com/

Writing Coaching Programs: https://www.thewritersrefuge.com/coaching

Sign up for my free 3x weekly writing session: write to jill@thewritersrefuge.com for ZOOM info

Special thanks to LVDY for allowing us to use their song, Saltwater, in the intro and outro of the podcast!