When My World Went Dark

Then we suffered a perinatal loss, and it knocked me for six. I was devastated.

I didn’t go into therapy, preferring to use self-help books and journaling as an aid to process my grief. My family and friends told me I’d be pregnant again soon, and events proved them right.

Not long after, we were expecting. But tragedy snuck up on us again: our second baby died.

Nothing was making sense to me anymore. I had always believed that if you worked hard and were a good person, nothing bad would happen to you.

My loss and grief shattered that belief, and I felt I had lost control over my life.

Stuck in a complex grief situation, I couldn’t find a way out.

A Flicker of Light
I went into therapy. My heart was broken. I was so miserable; two parts of my brain were fighting, and I couldn’t make sense of my internal noise.

However, my therapist could. She deciphered my conflicting feelings and untangled emotions and behaviours for me. I had been too tough on myself; crying and leaning into my suffering was ok.

That was a lightbulb moment. I realised therapy worked for me; I could get ‘unstuck’ and move forward. This thought resonated, and my gut told me to delve into psychotherapy.

As I completed my twelve-week foundation course, I noticed a lack of understanding of grief in my immediate environment. Friends and family didn’t know how to deal with my sorrow.

At this time, I was still working on my grief and discovered nature’s healing power. For others, yoga might be restorative; for me, it was simply being in nature.

How Grief and Loss Work Sparked My Mission to Help Others
My whole life had upended, and a few things were set off in my brain.

First, if I could help myself through this horror show and still live a good life with my sorrow and joys, I could do this for others.

The foundation course had shown me I could walk a different path, and I signed up for a 4-year training course in psychotherapy. I completed the course and undertook a year of voluntary psychotherapy work.

My intense love for nature has led me to study ecotherapy, and I’m currently undertaking the Anam Cara Apprenticeship.

Today I offer client-led psychotherapy to help people affected by grief or other issues untangle things and weave the threads of their life so they can heal, grow and rediscover the magic in their existence.

I offer therapy sessions at the Health Hub in Loughrea, or through walk-and-talk sessions.

Let me help you live your unique, simple, and sacred life.

Jennie