Summary: There's nothing more devastating than losing someone you love. You may feel numb, empty, and even crazy... like you'll never escape the emotional distress.There's nothing more devastating than losing someone you love. You may feel numb, empty, and even crazy... like you'll never escape the emotional distress. Reverend Ted Wiard, LPCC, CGC, who experienced incredible losses early in his life, wants you to know that you're not confined, nor defined, by the parts of your story. Ted nearly died from a rare disease. His brother perished in a shipwreck in Alaska. His wife was diagnosed with cancer at age 28 and lived only two more years. Shortly after, his two young daughters and mother-in-law were killed in a car crash. Ted quit his job and found himself wandering the world, contemplating suicide. At one point, he checked himself into a rehab center, even though he did not struggle with either drugs or alcohol. He just needed those 28 days to start to reflect and heal. His experience doing so spurred Ted to eventually found Golden Willow Retreat to help others who are dealing with grief and loss. One of the things Ted teaches is that when faced with loss, your mind takes a resistance approach. All of a sudden, you have to look at yourself and who you really are. This shattering experience (like Humpty Dumpty) forces you to look at all the pieces of your life and choose which to keep and which to let go. That resistance also appears in the grieving process, because you may connote grief with "getting over it" or having the loss be okay. The story doesn't have to be okay, but grief allows YOU to eventually be alright. Ted joins host Lisa Davis to discuss his own story, how he now views those losses in his life, and his "phases" of grief (loosely based on Elisabeth Kubler Ross's stages of grief). Insulation Protest Cognitive "Connecting of Dots" Surrender Acknowledgement of a Fact Unknown... Healing, Self-Realization Relocation of the Physical to the Meta-Physical Buy on Amazon Witnessing Ted: The Journey to Potential Through Grief & Loss
