Grief therapy

Other initiatives are harnessing the healing power of the great outdoors. Wild Grief is an organization “committed to the power of nature in healing.” In a blog post from June 8, it states that “connecting with nature through hiking and backpacking is not always accessible or safe” for Black people, and promotes outfits active in fixing this disparity. One such group is Outdoor Afro, founded by Rue Mapp. She views her “healing hikes” as a type of “restorative justice.” As Well&Good Changemaker Rachel Ricketts put it during an online panel in July, “racial justice is healing justice.”

Making oneself heard is another cathartic way to address grief. Online platform Modern Loss was created as a place for people “to share their varied stories of loss and to bear witness to others’ grief.” Stating that “Black Lives Matter. Black Grief Matters. Black Stories Matter,” the founders believe that “storytelling is a change agent”—words can mend and storytelling can be healing and empowering in dealing with grief. A powerful example of this is American poet Saeed Jones’s article for GQ, which detailed “the protests, the unrest, the uprisings, all of it,” that took place in America in May and June. It is titled “Whose grief? Our grief,” and, in these difficult times, protesters aren’t the only ones calling this out. As psychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry Shannon O’Neill stated in an interview for Self, grief is “a natural, instinctive, and collective universal experience.”

Practitioners focused on wellness and healing are providing grief therapy offerings that are culturally aware. Creating safe spaces for expression or promoting mindful physical activity is good business. The efficacy is evident. The cross-cultural need is real. A new era of grief therapy is here, and it’s a wellness boon for all.