Please join us for our upcoming Grief Support Group.

Grief support group will be held once a month on the second Tuesday of each month.

Note – We may vote to take a break for the summer.

Dates:

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

Time: 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

A snack with juice will be served.

To reserve your spot please call 416- 929-4878

Trinity St. Paul’s Church,

427 Bloor St. West at Spadina, Toronto

Our grief support group is designed to help support and heal the wounds of folks who may have experienced a significant loss. Remember loss not only stems from a death but also from the loss of dreams, a job, health, money, having children and many more events. Also be aware that losses happen in our life and we keep on going, and not taking time to heal the loss. So no matter how long ago was your loss, you are welcome to join us.

Grief is a natural reaction, often manifesting itself in a bewildering cluster of ordinary human emotions in response to any significant loss. Grief in our society is tends to be suppressed which can often  lead to breakdowns in physical and emotional health. This can be avoided by working with a therapist or a grief support group to help heal the losses from the past.

Grieving people need: empathy, to be with somebody who understands their pain, community support, and education that grief is a healthy response to loss.

If you know someone who is suffering from grief, please pass along information about our grief group. Thank you for helping our community heal.

What we will cover:

·         We will look at a healthy response to grief

·         Understanding the many faces of loss

·         Becoming aware of the five phases of grief

·         Steps to help cope through each phase of grief

·         How to move out of the crisis mode

This event is open to all who have had any significant loss. This could include:

·         Bankruptcy

·         Divorce and all other break ups

·         Loss of health

·         Loss of a job

·         A death of a loved one

·         Loss of dreams how we thought our life was going to evolve

·         Loss of a pet

·         And any other loss you may personally have experienced

Tuesday, May 8, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

An Introduction to the Grief Journey

We will look at the five phases of grieving. We will incorporate holistic approaches like Bach remedies, aromatherapy, acupressure, meditation and homeopathy to help cope during this difficult transitional period.

Tuesday June 12, 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm

Identifying and Dealing with Grief Triggers

How often were you feeling fine and out of the blue, you burst into a grief explosion? This workshop will help you understand the triggers that will bring up the sense of loss. Once you begin to understand the triggers you will be able to alter the response and the behavior that often follows. Learn how to transform the triggers to a positive behavior. We will also look at the role of journaling to process uncomfortable emotions.

Triggers:

Have you ever woken up happy and motivated, only to be hit by a sudden sense of doom? A cloud hangs over your head, and you feel down, depressed, anxious, and hopeless.

When it comes to processing grief  and loss, many factors can be a trigger for you to burst into tears or blow up like a volcano.

This evening will deal with how to learn to identify triggers and diffuse them.

A trigger is something in the present that resonates with something similar from the past and it may happen faster than a nanosecond. The event in the present has the potential to bring up all of your feelings from the past. You can learn to change your response to this trigger.

We will look at  journaling to help process your feelings of loss. Journaling is a great tool to process emotions but most folks do not know how to get started. This workshop will give you all the tools to start journaling and start clearing negative events when you go home.

The evening will conclude with a guided meditation to heal loss and bring in peace.

We look forward to assisting one and all in their healing journey.

Rev. Alexandra Gellman

Location: All events are held at Trinity St. Paul’s Church

427 Bloor Street West, Toronto

Closest subway station is Spadina.

Located just west of Spadina, on the south side of Bloor next to the Metro store.

Time: All events run from 7:00 pm  to 8:30 pm

Please RSVP to 416 929 4878 or by email to healgrief@uoufc.org

You can come to one or all meetings.

All are welcome to come and participate as fits your needs and schedule

To get the full benefit of healing, try to attend at least three events in

a row.

While we encourage participants to share and interact, our primary

focus is to provide a comfortable environment free from prejudice and

judgement, where grieving individuals can experience fellowship and support

and ultimately, healing.

Events are facilitated by  Rev David Gellman , Rev Alex Gellman and

Deacon Chiara Ferrante.

Monday, oct 17, 2011

HOW TO BOOST HEALTH THROUGH BETTER LIFESTYLE CHOICES

Grief and loss has been shown to lower the immune system. Alex

Gellman, PhD in natural medicine, hosts this workshop to help participants

guard and/or improve their health, covering topics such as:

.            Healthier food choices to boost the immune system

.            How to make healthy choices when under stress

.            Proper balance of nutrition – especially healthy protein and essential fatty acids

.            Validating the need for proper rest

.            Importance of exercise to boost endorphins and help battle depression

.            Strategies to finding new interests and hobbies to fill the void

Monday, November 14, 2011

SEASON OF DISORIENTATION, YEARNING & CONFRONTATION

When the numbness wears off you may find yourself feeling explosive

with emotions. Think of the feeling in your mouth after the dentist’s

freezing has worn off – you’ll go through various stages of discomfort

before your mouth is back to normal.

As we move from numbness to yearning it’s possible that the

slightest incident – while watching TV or reading the newspaper – can

trigger tears and sadness, anxiety and confusion. It may feel like being hit

by an emotional avalanche. It doesn’t help that sleep disturbances often

occur at this stage, as can physical ailments.

The season of numbness and the season of yearning can be times of

avoidance. The full impact of reality may not have sunk in after months or

even years. To complicate things further, others might make it known that

they feel you should be moving on with your life.

The challenge of the season of confrontation is to begin to accept

the reality of your loss and experience the pain of that realization. This

stage can be the most difficult and painful. Reality has set in and grief

and anger may now be accompanied by guilt, loneliness, and depression.

Monday December 5, 2011

Strategies for Coping during the Holiday Season

Holidays are a time that have the potential to bring up all the

disappointments and losses of our life. Learn seven keys that will help you to

rekindle the meaning and capture the true spirit of the holiday season.

January 2012 (DATE TBA)

JOURNALING THROUGH GRIEF

Journaling is recognized for its therapeutic ability to process

grief and all types of stress. Journaling engages the creative side of the

brain, which is linked to emotions and helps to focus thoughts and clear

mental confusion. Journaling can also be an outlet for healthy venting.

We facilitate journaling for those new to it, by suggesting an easy

to follow, formatted structure of when to write, how often, what to write

about etc. The journals are for personal use only (unless someone wants to

share a journal entry).

February 2012 (DATE TBA)

SEASON OF ADJUSTMENT, RECONCILIATION AND REORGANIZATION

The season of adjustment is the precursor to your new life. You

learn to live with your loss as you reinvest your energy in people, ideas

and new things.  You will have begun the process of learning new skills and

tools to help you on.

Reconciliation of grief means coming to the place where you can accept

your life as meaningful, even in light of your loss.  When you learn how to

integrate loss into your life, and to affirm that life is till meaningful,

then you have come full circle in your grief journey.

NEW PARTICIPANTS WELCOME!

Candida outbreaks are a common and aggravating condition, afflicting many people, often on a recurring basis. Candida can be managed through a holistic approach but the cost  of seeing a practitioner is prohibitive for some. That’s  why I made an effort to clear space in my calendar to host a free self help group, and the response to the first meeting this month has been most gratifying. After just one meeting I’ve received emails from several attendees reporting a positive      shift in their health from using strategies they learned at the meeting. Candida self help groups are held on a monthly basis with an open invitation to all. Please contact me for dates and location.