Testimonials For One-on-One Online Support
It helped me to put my grief into perspective
One-on-One Online Support01/19/2021
One-on-One Online Support01/16/2021
The addition of homework, and the challenge of completing it and being honest with yourself is not easy. However, it made a huge difference for me because it made me focus and stay on course.
One-on-One Online Support01/12/2021
This program allowed me to assess my life in a way that I had previously not done. Personalitywise, I tend to be very hypercritical of myself and have an extremely difficult time expressing my emotions as one of my short energy release behaviors that I learned about was being physically active and seeking the approval of others. While this may not seem initially problematic over the recent years it has escalated to unhealthy levels which impeded my ability to be timely with tasks. Initially, I was engaging in this behavior unbeknownst to me. Steve, the facilitator I was working with, reminded me of the importance of you are doing this for yourself and don't short-change yourself. Hearing this from a person who was at the time someone I barely knew was humbling and insightful because on a conscious level I was thinking well I am doing what you ask. However, after a couple of sessions and being reminded about the importance of being emotionally available I later recognized that I was simply retelling events and not actually describing my actual emotions of the events that had happened. The following session I believe it was the third session where he explained the 5 basic emotions where I finally recognized that for many years I had kind of disassociated my emotions from myself. This was really eye-opening as I had heard of people doing this, but was completely unaware of this within myself. I did recognize though that thorough review of my losses prior to graphing them out that I took not the personality characteristics of people of I had lost; notably my grandmother. Specifically, I started acting older than I was after her death which was something I was aware of. Steve's observation of my use of sarcasm and explanation of empathy was when I started to really gain insight into understanding my emotion of anger that I had. I knew I had the emotion of anger but, I associated that with my background of being in special education. However, that was not the case it was more about needing help when growing up and feeling dependent. Over the session, I became able to actually express myself without feeling frustrated which was a very big accomplishment in and of its self. Another insight that I learned was how powerful the subconscious mind is in relation to grief. Having one's repressed memories come up was an extraordinary shock. Especially, when you didn't even know you had repressed them. While this initially was a very scary experiencing learning to go with that emotion but not become consumed by it was what really allowed me to recognize my emotions. The best way I can describe it was was through the metaphor of getting an electrical shock to the heart for a person who is in cardiac arrest. However, this metaphor was applied to my emotional heart in my mind. I could finally feel my emotions from my memories of when I was first adopted. I would be walking and "pop" a memory would fly up. While this was intense and recognizing that grief is a natural process having this occurring did start to become concerning as I needed to actually have my graduate school work in a timely fashion. Steve's reassurance that it was not possible to break one's mind and that this occurrence was normal as my brain was processing things was extremely helpful. The most intense part was when I ended up losing my wallet which was when I needed to call and really ask how do I get this to stop? Steve's ability to be calm and patient about this was extremely valuable. While working on the assignments of the relationship graph, statements were difficult and my hesitation was evident Steve's patience, guidance, and assistance were helpful and essential to me understanding how this process was meant to work. As an individual who is curious and has some knowledge of psychology from being in therapy, I thought that I knew how things went but when I needed steering, Steve was able to give practical meaningful suggestions which were helpful and I am glad I took. Overall, this program helped me gain insight into myself and have a greater appreciation of the extraordinary abilities that the human brain is capable of. During this program, I also noticed that my willingness to write about things increased. One insight, that was brought to my attention was how I repeat myself and it was Steve's comment of people that repeat themselves often are people who often feel unheard. This insight was really powerful as it made me think of how I do not recognize the power of my words which was another insight I gained through this process. While I am grateful for the opportunity to have gone through this program and gain these insights I recognize the importance that I have a lot more work within myself to do. However, I need to let my brain adjust before I jump into this further and I am confident that I will be working in this program afterward. I can honestly and respectfully say that Mr. John James and Mr. Russell Freidman's Grief Recovery Handbook and the Grief Recovery Institute have a very powerful and effective program that has the ability to benefit an extraordinary amount of people and grievers and effectively address the mental health crisis occurring in the United States and worldwide. As a person who thought they knew grief, I thank you for allowing me to learn what grief is and better understand myself. If I were able to nominate a program for Nobel Peace Prize I would definitely nominate Grief Recovery Institute. Thank you to all certified grief recovery specialists, you helped a public health professional grow and become more capable than he ever thought he was. Keep up the great and excellent important work!
One-on-One Online Support01/12/2021
Having experienced several losses at once made it difficult for me to function. Learning about grief and doing the GRM has given me hope that my future will be better than I imagined. It was really very difficult at times but it was worth the effort. I feel so much lighter and am looking forward to doing this program on other losses. It's different than what I expected but magical in it's results. I am grateful I found this program and was able to work with Rhonda. She's been a great match for me.
One-on-One Online Support12/31/2020
I feel that this program helped me complete some complicated feelings about my father that have been upsetting to me and contributing to a sense of low-grade impotence and despair. Do feel a bit lighter and that possibility is more available to me.
One-on-One Online Support12/31/2020
I'm a college student who was recommended The Grief Recovery Method by a family friend, in order to go over some of the major losses in my life. After completing my first completion I feel so much more secure in the relationship that I'd lost, and am now looking forward with hope and a feeling of content. Ronda walked with me through the loss and separation of my high school sweetheart, helped me resolve feelings I didn't think I had, and helped me see the relationship in a new light. I'm eternally grateful for this program and for my facilitator, Ronda Bonfanti, and look forward to completing my other losses in my life.
One-on-One Online Support12/31/2020
It's difficult to actually put into words how I feel now. I can only say that something has changed and I feel better.
One-on-One Online Support12/22/2020
I was able to reflect on many different losses that helped to identify an unhealthy pattern in my life. I was able to fully process my relationship with my late husband in order to let go of the losses and remember the good times as well. I was also able to work through some of the circumstances which may have led to the unhealthy patterns. Sara was kind, compassionate and easy to trust with my heart. It was very helpful to be able to do the homework at my own pace.
One-on-One Online Support12/16/2020
A weight has been lifted that was a true barrier for grieving the unexpected loss of my husband. After completing the workshop and reading my letter, I can for the first time in a long time picture my husband with a love that I couldn't access previously due to the unresolved communications that blocked my heart. I feel free and truly complete; thank you for providing me with this gift! I am forever indebted to all of you, including my expert facilitator!
One-on-One Online Support12/15/2020Participant in Glendale, Arizona
The program has helped me unravel the knots of grief that were holding me back so that I can get on with an optimistic and productive life.
One-on-One Online Support12/14/2020
One-on-One Online Support12/14/2020
One evening my life became unbearable. I had experienced a loss and the pain was too great and I decided I did not want to live any more. Thankfully friends found me and took me to the local hospital and what happened there changed my life forever. An ER doctor after hearing my story told me about a woman in the city that he knew of that worked with people who had experienced losses in their life and he said after working with her, their lives changed. He gave me her phone number and encouraged me to call her. The next morning I phoned Lorri and we talked for almost an hour. During that time I felt cared for and that she heard every word I said, and she didn't judge me at all which was not something I was used to because I always felt judged. I decided to give the 1 on 1 program a shot because honestly what did I have to lose? Each week Lorri and I would have our session and each week of the journey I learned more than I ever imagined. Lorri would use examples from her own losses to demonstrate and explain the concepts and this helped me so much. I realized that in my life I had experienced so many losses and I did exactly what I was taught to do, I put them in my backpack and tried to ignore them. Lorri was available to answer any questions I had by email, text or phone and her answers were always explained in a way that I could understand. This woman has changed my life! I am excited to be alive now and I know how to complete other losses in my life now too thanks to Lorri and The Grief Recovery Program! I also want to add, a few weeks after finishing the program, a small parcel arrived in the mail. I opened it up and in there was a small rose quartz heart with a hand written note from Lorri. This heart was sent as a reminder of the work we did so I could heal my broken heart. Thank you.
One-on-One Online Support12/14/2020
It has been over a year since my Mom passed away. I was producing a podcast - Life In The A-Zone where I share my bittersweet stories of love, life and loss as my mother's caregiver from her diagnosis of Alzheimer's to her death. As I wrote and shared the stories I was struggling with so many feelings and knew I needed counseling to help me heal through the process. The grief recovery process allowed me to heal the loss of my mother in a profound way. It has been a gift to do this work with Claudia who created a safe space for me to walk through my feelings and come out stronger on the other side.
One-on-One Online Support12/10/2020
I really enjoyed this program. It was a lot of work and at times overwhelming but that's expected when dealing with issues in our life we want resolved. I have already recommended this program to a handful of people!
One-on-One Online Support12/09/2020
This programme has helped me enormously to advance and complete the process of grief after the death of my wife. I saw a ray of light that was so welcome when I had my first session. In fact in anticipation of our first meeting I felt lifted from the mood of despair into which I had been plunged after my bereavement. Throughout the programme I have found the tasks and instructions very easy to follow. My facilitator has been entirely generous in making the programme of great benefit to me and this has helped to transform my life.
One-on-One Online Support12/05/2020
The Grief Recovery Method Class was the best money I've ever spent on myself! This class allowed me to look at how I dealt with losses. It took me to the root of how it may have started and how I was presently dealing with grief. The class took away all the pre-assumptions that I had on what grief really is and how we all deal with some type of grief in our lives. I truly want to thank Lina for all of her encouragement, advice, and how she helped me reach a place of peace within myself. Thank you
One-on-One Online Support12/03/2020
One-on-One Online Support12/01/2020
I have lost a husband of 40 years. Because of Covid I am alone without family or friends around. It was comforting to share my loss with Ricki via "Zoom" - she had a good ear and was a calming influence. While I liked my appointment with Ricki, I didn't much enjoy the Grief Recovery Handbook. I understand there was a grief learning process to follow but the book 'annoyed' me. I felt the book covered too many different types of loss not related to my situation. I had very little background loss experience. I didn't feel comfortable seeking negative reasons within my relationship, although there were some undeniably. And I didn't care for the second book writer's input. I did my homework and read chapters and it wasn't until I sat with Ricki that I could put matters in perspective. I don't know how the program has worked for me. Obviously good or bad reasons listed above may stay with me and help me understand my loss as time goes on. Maybe I would have been happy just talking to Ricki but I also understand that the book gave structure to our appointment process.
One-on-One Online Support12/01/2020
It gave me a structure that is useful. My facilitator had excellent skills and empathy.
One-on-One Online Support12/01/2020
I had two courses of Bereavement Counselling in the past for two separate bereavements. This course goes way above and beyond in terms of working through grief - it's both explorative and enlightening in ways the previous courses I've done before really weren't. Even though I did this course years after first experiencing bereavement, there was still an enormous amount of emotional pain and grief I had to process and after the course I felt a real shift happen due to the way the exercises were structured.
One-on-One Online Support11/28/2020
I read the book by myself, and it was nothing compared to working with Robin.She was fantastic and helped me complete the loss of my father who died terribly. I am so grateful to her for how she facilitated the program and for the program itself. I have a lifelong toolkit and even decided to get a puppy instead of fearing loss because I know that no matter what happens, I have a way to heal. Thank you!!!
One-on-One Online Support11/25/2020
Naomi was a great coach and the program helped me work through recent grief and grief from my past. I learned a lot about grieving, feelings and reactions. I learned that I do not have to let the grief from my life control me. I am very grateful to Naomi and the program.
One-on-One Online Support11/23/2020
Wendy created and held a sacred space for me as I shared my losses. I was able to express myself and emotions without worrying I would be judged, shamed or not be enough. Being able to acknowledge my losses this way revealed patterns that were not lifegiving. It allowed me to let go of thought patterns that were creating hardships in my life.
One-on-One Online Support11/19/2020