I was once told that grief is love with nowhere to go, so it is important that we make space for it to land. My ceremonies and funerals are places to heal; not by removing grief, but by creating safe places to share and express what we feel about a person and the loss of them, so that we may carry our feelings more gently within us as we move forward in our lives.
As a therapeutic celebrant, I help people who have experienced recent loss transition through the difficult emotions it can bring, such as grief, sadness, anger, feeling lost, and any other feelings we may have as humans beings. I am a registered therapist who has experience in helping people living with trauma, complex or difficult feelings, additional needs and neurodiversity.
For some, funerals are for saying goodbye; for others, it’s about acknowledging what a person taught us, how they shaped us, and what memories and actions can we take forward with us. By holding appropriate spaces to feel what we need to feel (both within and outside of ceremony), we may be able to carry our feelings more lightly.
Initial Support
Grief and loss can feel overwhelming, messy, and difficult to hold sometimes. First, I support the individuals most effected by the loss by arranging an appropriate time and date for me to meet with you at your home, or at my therapy practice. Here, I will listen and support you as memories and feelings are shared, acknowledged and felt, whilst I use appropriate therapeutic methods to ground and support you when needed. I help people move through loss in ways that feel right for them, and hold space for reflections on what their person means to them, what their person taught them, and what they decide to take forward or leave behind from these reflections. Throughout this process, we agree what parts of this person’s story needs to be honoured and shared at the ceremony.
Creating the Ceremony
I will then take your carefully curated memories, stories and reflections that have been agreed to be shared, and create a ceremony that is warm, appropriately joyous or reflective and gentle, and deeply meaningful. Before the ceremony, you may request additional spaces to help you move through any feelings related to your loss, either with therapeutic sessions, additional support for anyone who wishes to write and say a eulogy at the ceremony, or more private memorials. Additionally, young children or those with additional needs may need their own space to process difficult or complex feelings. Ultimately, I support people through very human moments in ways that are therapeutically and emotionally informed.
The Ceremony
I believe funerals should feel connected, an honest reflection of a life, held with warmth and meaning. My funeral ceremonies are as unique as the people they honour and their loved ones I support; they can be a reflection of a life well lived through a story told, they can be therapeutic and emotionally attuned, with meaningful symbolic rituals incorporating music, creativity, nature or movement. They may also reflect religious or spiritual beliefs of your loved one’s community. Throughout, I will work gently and collaboratively with you to shape the ceremony and confirm beforehand that it reflects your loved one’s life in a way that feels right.
Funerals are an ending to our stories, a chance to reflect and celebrate the person who lived, and everything that made them uniquely them. Preparing to say goodbye to a person’s physical presence can sometimes feel overwhelming; and sometimes we need more space to process, a gentler touch, a place that is set for us where feelings are welcome and valid.
After the service, you have the option of an aftercare reflection, or you may and you may request help in finding other services to help support you, whether that be external services from other mental health providers, or you are welcome to explore emotional wellbeing and therapeutic support groups available at Bristol Dramatherapy, if you still need a space held for you.
Additional Services When Needed:
- Additional Therapeutic Support Sessions – These can be held if needed for select individuals or groups.
- Support in Writing and Speaking a Eulogy
- Additional Private Memorial/s – for those who would be more comfortable experiencing their feelings of loss in a more private setting, I offer additional memorials at my therapy practice, a home, or a natural setting, to say goodbye whilst holding a space for to feel any feelings, with emotional support if need be.
- Original Poetry for the Services – after lecturing in creative writing in the past and having a particular passion for writing poetry, I am able to create original pieces that reflect the feeling of your person upon request.
- Storybook – the service in the form of a story to keep for yourselves to reflect back on. These are available in digital format, however printed copies can be arranged. These can be illustrated or non-illustrated, or contain photographs provided of your loved one.
If you would like a gentle chat about how I can make space for you and your loved ones, please call me on 0770 332 7330, use the contact form provided, or book in a initial phone call.
