Sandy Engbretson

My Experience

Not only did I process the loss that resulted from an affair my partner had decades ago, but it has softened how I see everything that was ever painful for me and certainly anything that is current and causing pain. It has made me see things in less binary ways and in much more gradated ways. And also, that I do not need to settle or be passive in anything I find painful. I can work it thru the process and am currently working on several things I discovered on my timeline. Also, hearing my partner's timeline was so powerful. I knew about a lot of them but when you hear it all together and see the timing it is profound and created so much empathy and compassion for him. It does not excuse any pain-inducing behavior but it does help me understand it better and also not personalize it as much. And also, to see my part in the outcome. It feels freeing and empowering. I am so grateful to have learned it.

My Experience

The program has given me specific tools to help me come to completeness with different emotions and unfinished grieving. Using the loss timeline and the relationship graph will help me in the future as I wrap up other undone emotional residue.

My Experience

I found the program helpful in the following ways: The sequential component parts of the GRM were helpful in expanding awareness of specific relational losses. It offered concepts and tools to think differently about grief (giving up expectation for a different past). I loved the existential nature of some of the tools (I am releasing the pain). And I thought the opportunity to work with another person in a safe and trusting interpersonal context was excellent.

My Experience

I definitely feel more at peace regarding the loss of my daughter.

My Experience

The depth of the emotional experience of writing, then sharing the completion letter took me by surprise because as someone with 45+ years of 12-step recovery, much of the process up to that point, while different in format from AA 4th-5th steps, felt similar to work I’d done many times before. But reading the letter felt profoundly emotional. The next day I noticed right away that an inner shift had occurred — certain reminders of the past were simply not triggering those unwelcome reactions of contempt, judgment, blame, or ruminative story loops. Most important, a week out from course completion I am seeing unmistakable improvement in the chronic gastritis that brought me to the GRM. I had suspected that unresolved grief was a making me physically ill, and now feel I have confirmation. I’m very grateful and will refer friends to the GRM without hesitation.