Grief awareness week

Grief in All Its Forms

Healing grief with hope

Grief isn’t one thing. It’s not reserved for bereavement or the loss of someone we love—though those are among the deepest pains we face. Grief also appears with child estrangement, the collapse of a relationship, the ending of a role or career, redundancy, or the unsettling quiet of retirement when identity suddenly shifts. It can arise after losing a version of ourselves, a future we imagined, or a long-held sense of stability.

However it arrives, grief is a natural response to something that mattered. It doesn’t move in straight lines, it doesn’t obey logic, and it certainly doesn’t work to a schedule. People often describe it as a tide: sometimes gentle, sometimes fierce, sometimes catching us completely off guard.

Bereavement

The loss of someone we love can shake the world at its foundations. It brings sadness, longing, disbelief, anger, guilt, memories that comfort and memories that cut. Bereavement also creates practical and identity-based changes—suddenly becoming a widow, a widower, an only child, or the one who must carry on. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy can help someone find moments of respite from the intensity, and reconnect with pockets of strength as they navigate life without that person.

Child Estrangement and Family Rift

This form of grief is often hidden. When a son, daughter, parent, or sibling becomes emotionally or physically distant, the loss can feel ambiguous and ongoing. There is no funeral, no ritual, no moment of finality—just a painful sense of distance and “not knowing.” SFH can gently support people to steady themselves, reduce rumination, and hold on to their own emotional wellbeing while living with the uncertainty.

End of a Relationship

Romantic endings bring a grief that can be very physical—sleep difficulties, intrusive thoughts, a deep sense of disorientation. Even in relationships that were difficult or painful, the loss of the familiar can be hard. Hypnotherapy helps the brain settle from fight-or-flight and gradually re-engage with hope, new routines, and self-worth.

Career Loss, Redundancy, or Retirement

Work shapes identity more than we realise. Losing a job can threaten security, confidence, and a sense of purpose. Retirement, even when chosen, can bring a surprising grief as routines fall away and the question “Who am I now?” rises. SFH encourages people to notice steps forward—new rhythms, rekindled interests, even small signs of stability—so they can rebuild identity at a pace that feels safe.

The Grief of Losing a Future We Imagined

Sometimes the loss isn’t a person but a possibility: a life path that didn’t unfold, a version of ourselves we hoped to become, or a long-expected future that suddenly changed. This kind of grief often brings a sense of disorientation or quiet sadness. Hypnotherapy can help people reconnect with their inner resources and begin to visualise a future that feels possible again.

How Solution Focused Hypnotherapy Supports Grief

What matters in grief is how we support ourselves—how we notice and build on the small moments of steadiness when everything feels altered. Solution Focused Hypnotherapy (SFH) offers a gentle, forward-looking approach to do just that. Rather than asking someone to re-enter the pain or retell the story of the loss, SFH guides attention toward what helps: the small signs of coping that are already there, even if they feel faint.

These signs might be an hour of easier breathing, a night of slightly better sleep, a conversation that didn’t feel as heavy, or simply the ability to get dressed and step outside. Hypnosis provides a safe, calming space where the nervous system can settle, helping clients notice these moments and build upon them. SFH strengthens inner resources by reminding people of resilience they have drawn on before and gently encourages them to imagine how they might navigate life with grief rather than being consumed by it.

One of the most comforting aspects of SFH is its focus on practical coping and small glimmers of relief. It helps people re-establish routines, ease anxious thoughts, and visualise a steadier future—all without pressure or judgment. The goal isn’t to “get over” grief but to live alongside it, honour it, and move toward a life that holds meaning.

Because it is respectful, flexible, and non-intrusive, SFH can support all types of loss—bereavement, estrangement, break-ups, redundancy, retirement, and the quiet griefs people don’t always talk about. It offers hope and forward movement in a way that feels safe, achievable, and uniquely tailored to each person’s journey.

One of the kindest things you can offer yourself is patience. Another is permission: permission to feel what you feel, to rest when you need to, to find help when the weight becomes too much, and to take each small step at your own pace. Healing doesn’t mean forgetting. It means learning to live with the loss while allowing space for new steadiness, connection, and meaning to slowly return.

Support comes in many forms—friends, community, creative expression, time outdoors, moments of stillness, and therapeutic approaches like Solution Focused Hypnotherapy that help calm the mind and strengthen your natural resilience. You don’t have to navigate grief alone.

Wherever you are in your journey, and whatever kind of loss you are carrying, may you find kindness toward yourself, gentle company along the way, and the small but significant signs that life can hold hope again.