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THE GRIEF CLUB
You may have been initiated suddenly. A relationship you wanted to last forever didn’t. People die. They go away. Some losses violate more slowly. Eating disorders, alcoholism, addiction -- even Alzheimer’s disease -- can be sneaky, hiding in plain sight for years. No matter what you're facing, you’re not alone even when you feel alienated from the rest of the world. People have been there before you and others will follow. You're part of an elite group, one you joined whether you wanted to or not. From bankruptcy to losing a child, whether the problem is big or small -- or if you want to become a better friend by learning how to truly help someone you care about who's dealing with loss -- the doors are open. Click here to register now.
Welcome to the Club
The Members Only Section is now open. Upcoming Workshops will be announced on the public page in the Public Menu under "News." Remember, you can join and then ask to be "unjoined" to attend chats or come inside and look around.
The public section offers true stories anonymously written showing the raw truth about how people are living with losses -- an ill spouse, facing a terminal illness, teen suicide, sexually transmitted diseases that can't be cured, and more. The introduction to The Grief Club: the Secret to Getting through All Kinds of Change is posted for the public. You can find current resources for almost every possible need - no matter what state you live in. Our Privacy Policies, Disclaimers, and Code of Conduct can by read by anyone. So can the checklist of things that hurt when we lose them, taken from The Grief Club -- courtesy of Hazelden Publishers.
But we offer so much more in the Members Only section. All we ask for you to join is that you provide us a valid e-mail address and phone number (not for solicitations, but in case of emergency), and so we can keep the Club a safe place for those in pain. There are no dues or fees, no hidden costs or gimmicks. Inside, Members can create memorials and tributes. (No solicitors, please. Members have been through enough. They're vulnerable. They need protection -- not people trying to sell them stuff.) Members, all we ask is that you respect each other and make a commitment not to harm yourself or anyone else, and to hold us harmless.
You can have a space to write in a journal privately or you can share your story with others. You'll be able to find people going through a loss similar to yours. The entire book The Grief Club will be posted, free of charge, a chapter at a time so you can read it on a rotating basis. Then we'll discuss the 17 different losses the book covers. A small gift store will offer a select group of products specifically related to losses, including unique Comfort Quilts, hand made from the blue jeans of a loved one so you can wrap the feeling of their love around you when the missing gets to be too much.
Each member will receive a private scrapbook area where he or she can work on whatever. We'll also offer workshops, guided chats (yes, I'll be there), and classes-- many of which will be free. For some, we'll charge a small but affordable fee. Most articles I write will appear in my blog, Living in the Mystery. You're invited to ask question, make comments, participate in forums, tell your story (over and over if necessary - obsession is a stage of grief and we allow it here). Friends of people in grief will have their own section where they'll find valuable, practical tips on what to do --and more importantly what not to say and do -- when someone you care about experiences loss.
You'll learn how to gain some control over overwhelming pain. You have the power to temporarily shut it off (the pain) and take a break from hurting. You'll find people who don't have to tell you they understand because you'll know they do. Whether you're going through a rite of passage like empty nest syndrome, ending a relationship, or seeing the effects of aging, you're in the right place. We'll even tackle the controversial subject of taking pain medication if you're living in chronic or intractable pain and wondering if it's okay for you to have quality of life and ability to function. You can almost be guaranteed that if it concerns grief, you'll find something about it here.
For too long, grieving people have been the ignored majority while society pretends they don't exist or worse yet, accuses them of feeling sorry for themselves . No more. It's time for you to have a say and a place to say it. Check us out. This might be the right place to come to heal your heart.
We make no guarantees. We do no professional or pop therapy. But you can find the oldest healing elixir in the world here -- Unconditional Acceptance and Love. Come in, try it on. See how it feels.
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