Holding All We Grieve: How Compassion Unlocks Healing from Life’s Losses

Grief touches every corner of our lives, not just when we lose loved ones, but also through trauma, transitions, and untold stories. In this post, I reflect on my own relationship with grief and the many ways we can hold space for healing.

Untangling my relationship with grief

I’ve been thinking about grief and loss a lot these days. The way my own grief has been pushed aside, the way grief is interwoven into all the healing work I do, yet so often goes unnamed. I remember the suffocating weight of grief during the pandemic when my fear of death felt overwhelming, and my losses had no landing space.

For a time, I found myself recoiling from anything “griefy,” even pulling back from my work with pregnancy loss and birth trauma. What I didn’t realize then was how much my untended pain was shaping my response.

Tending to my own wounded space

I began distancing myself from the work, limiting my involvement with pregnancy and postpartum experiences. This created space to focus on my own grief—specifically the grief held in my womb space.

Intergenerational trauma, birth trauma, and deep-rooted wounds were carried in this space for decades. Slowly, I began unraveling these stories and releasing the embodied energy they carried. Grief work became an act of love, healing the stories I had buried deep within.

Grief is more than loss of a loved one

While we often associate grief with the emotional pain of losing a beloved person, this is only part of the story. Grief can manifest in many forms:

• Traumas or abuse

• Relational breakups or divorce

• Losing a home or being displaced

• The journey of motherhood or abortion

• Abandoning a creative venture or personal dream

All losses, regardless of their form, deserve to be held with care and compassion.

Tending to grief in your body

Grief can feel overwhelming, but healing begins when we allow ourselves to feel and release. Somatic practices, such as breathing deeply or placing a gentle hand on your heart, can help your emotions land softly.

For me, tending to grief involved connecting to my body’s wisdom and untangling long-buried stories.

Holding space for healing

We hold our grief as we would a wounded child—with gentleness, compassion, and cariño. By allowing grief to move at its own pace, we open space for healing and untangling the threads of our story.

So take your time. Hold all you grieve. Send love to your wounded parts and allow them to tell their stories. This is how you heal.

If your grief feels heavy, somatic psychotherapy offers a tender, supportive space for you to process and heal. Learn how body, mind, and spirit can come together on your healing journey. Explore Somatic Psychotherapy here.

Con amor, Marisela