Grief and Loss Counseling in San Diego, CA.

Grief and loss are a part of life and how we deal with it are our feelings around it is very important for internal relief. I help clients undue unwilled and unwanted unbearable aloneness. This can come from many different areas in our lives such as past or present trauma, loss of a relationship, death of a loved one, etc.. Helping clients move through the grief and loss process with support and care is a priority to me.

I help clients navigate grief and loss by welcoming their deep feelings as a part of the process and navigating them carefully when they become overwhelming. Grief is a growth process like other difficult experiences, and I help clients find the resilience inside themselves to both honor their loss while getting stronger. By honoring the pain of the loss, we can move into a new phase of life that allows for thriving.

People experience many different kinds of grief and loss, from the death of a friend or family member (including pets) to loosing a job or one's health. Therapy for grief and loss can help you through a very difficult and painful transition. Grief is a normal reaction to loss, and allowing yourself to spend time grieving instead of pushing down the feelings and emotions that ought to be expressed can help you to manage through this time in the best way possible. I provide a safe and caring place and a supportive therapeutic relationship as you work through your experience and manage the wide range of emotions you may feel.

There are losses so large that ordinary words seem to fail them, and yet finding words is often exactly what helps us survive them. If you're carrying a grief that feels too heavy or too tangled to speak about, you don't have to carry it alone or explain it perfectly. In our sessions, you can bring whatever is there: the sorrow, the memories, the things you wish you'd said, the parts of the loss no one else seems to understand. I'll help you give them a voice and make sense of an experience that may feel senseless right now. I've worked with many grieving people, and I've witnessed even the heaviest of grief resolve. Whenever you're ready, call me so we can work through your pain together.

Grief can change the shape of ordinary life. After a loss, you may feel sad, angry, numb, disoriented, or unsure how to move forward. In therapy, we slow down and give your experience room without trying to rush it, simplify it, or turn it into a formula. We may explore what was lost, what remains, how your relationships and identity have changed, and how to keep living with care, meaning, and connection.

Grief and loss is a part of so much more than many recognize in every day life. Most folks are familiar with the Kubler-Ross stages, but processing grief is much more than those five stages. There are tasks of mourning that can be explored and expanded with support in therapy. There are secondary losses as a result of an initial loss. Grief impacts how open we feel to new relationships in our lives. I work with clients to help them understand their responses to grief, move through their grief and feelings through expressive arts and verbal processing.

Everyone at one time or another experiences loss and goes through the grief process. What helps a person through this is to cognitively process the event. An excellent way to do this is through the EMDR technique. I have received training through the EMDR institute (Emdria) and can assist individuals through times of loss and help them through the grief process. EMDR is one of the most effective methods to help process the loss, allow the person to experience the wave of emotions and bring the feeling and belief of resolve and completion which will help the person move forward.

Grief and loss is a painful and individual experience. Individuals express and experience bereavement in their own unique way. Grief work is beneficial to individuals dealing with bereavement because it provides one with the opportunity to process the loss, release painful emotions, develop constructive coping mechanisms and reinvest one's emotional energy in the present. Grief work also allows one to develop a new connection to the loss and provides one with a unique opportunity for personal growth.

I use an empathetic and compassionate approach combined with a range of specialized therapeutic techniques, including sensorimotor psychotherapy and internal family systems, to address Grief & Loss. Together we will master the intricacies of the grief process to enable a personalized and profound healing journey for those grappling with one of life's most challenging transitions. Clients will find solace and strength in my care, and I will create a safe space for exploration and growth, fostering resilience and understanding during grief. My methods not only alleviate the immediate pain of loss but also nurture a path towards long-term emotional well-being and empowerment.

The perception of grieving must be processed and understood before coping with loss can begin. There is individual timing in the grieving process, before the return to re-discovery. We are alive. What do we to do when we lose an attachment; positive or a negative one, who was part of our life? There are a number of emotions that emerge; confusion, sadness, guilt. Turn to your spiritual family and your friends. Take care of yourself. Continue to exercise; eat healthily; get plenty of sleep; work at letting go of feeling guilty. Verbally and emotionally express your loss. Say what you never got to say. Accept emotional support. Do not isolate

Grief can be a difficulty beast to manage, a beast which can surface at any moment without warning and often comes in waves. When I’ve been grieving I’ve felt like I was in an emotional pong ball. With the aid of tools like EMDR CBT and guided visualizations I can help you to heal and leave the pain, loss, and grief in the past while holding on to the happy memories. Additionally, I can provide tools, coping skills, and other resources to help you manage this particular issue.

Grey Matters International and the work of Kevin J. Fleming, Ph.D approaches issues of grief & loss through the lens of innovation----instead of growing the same neural networks responsible for the pain in weekly therapy sessions, we reset the brain to move forward quicker and efficiently by working on the stuck limbic system so as to empower the person with more success and traction. For no one wants to stay in a grief mode for too long; but when you don’t include the brain in your work with someone, you risk describing the water to them while they drown and calling it success. Contact Grey Matters International, Inc now at kevin@kevinflemingphd.com or 877-606-6161.

Grief is a force that requires great care and self-compassion. No one grieves in the same way. Grief is not always linked to the death of a loved one. Grief and loss can happen because of a job loss, moving, death of a pet, completing college or a graduate degree program, or even loss of a career. We will practice ways of integrating the loss into your loss, so it isn't this consuming force. For many, the goal of grief counseling is to simply "learn how to live with it." We will practice ways of living with the loss in a way that honors yourself, your experience, and your future plans.