Nine months after marrying her soulmate, Zena Walsh Pearlson’s husband Josh died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism. Five months later, her father passed away. The two most significant men in her life were gone.
Zena reached out to grief support groups, her doctor, a psychiatrist and therapist in an effort to heal. She did everything she could to help with her grief.
Then, Zena discovered The Grief Recovery Method. She said, “It was life-changing, grief-altering and brought me profound healing.”
It was such a transformational experience, Zena became certified in the program. Out of that knowledge came what Zena called Joyous Sorrow, that we all live during any death and loss. She then founded Joyous Sorrow Grief Recovery.
As a widow and bereaved daughter, Zena can empathize with the anguish of grief and loss. Through her healing she developed an intense desire to help others move beyond their feelings of despair.
Zena said, “I have been where you are, and I am living proof that you can go from surviving to thriving and living a new life that is not consumed daily by the emotional pain of losing a loved one.”
Zena teaches her clients to take ownership of their emotional pain, which is a significant step toward growth and transformation.
The Grief Recovery Method is a series of steps specifically designed to help clients recover from major loss within a set time frame. It helps them deal with what is emotionally unfinished in their relationships.
A lot of Zena’s clients come to her to heal from one loss and through the process discover another unresolved loss. “One client told me that I had changed her life. “She said for all the work she had previously done, this really made me dig deep, not just touch the surface of the grief.”
The Grief Recovery Method sheds light on the myths we’re taught about grief.
Zena said, “One of the biggest myths is that time heals all wounds. Time doesn’t heal all wounds, it’s the action you take within that time that will actually heal your heart.”
“The Grief Recovery Method gives you the tools that will help you through not only your current loss but future losses..
Zena said, “When you take responsibility for how you’re feeling with this emotional pain, then you can heal your heart, not just your head. Grief is emotional, not logical.”
When people say they feel like they have a hole in their heart, it’s so true. People are afraid to face the pain. Their pain is the last connection they have to their loved one.”
Zena said, “That’s impossible, we’re never going to forget our loved ones. They’re always going to be a part of us.”
Some people think, the deeper the grief the more intense the love. “Wouldn’t it be great to feel that the deeper the love, the brighter the life you have now? I always say in my consultations with people, are you going through life or are you living your life?”
Many of us have lost something through the COVID-19 pandemic. It could be a loved one, a job, a business, a spouse through divorce or even not having a high school graduation ceremony. It’s about loss of relationship, and is also the conflicting feelings caused by the end of or change in a familiar pattern. Grief is far bigger than we realize.
The Grief Recovery Method Program deals with what is emotionally unfinished, unresolved and incomplete.
Participants are gently guided through the 8 week Group, 7 Week 1-on-1 Program. Zena consults with clients in person, on zoom in a group or privately one-on-one.
Completing your grief is a soft pause in your life to allow you to move forward, shifting pain to sadness.
For Zena, instead of pain and anguish, thoughts of her husband Josh now produce fond memories. She wants to help others to do the same.
Zena assures clients they will feel better after taking the program. She said, “I am living proof, I did it myself. I did the program after trying other approaches. It may be the last thing you try, but it’s the first thing that works. And I want people to be aware that there is life after loss and you can heal your heart. You can live on with grief.”
If you would like to contact Zena Walsh Pearlson, please visit her website, www.joyoussorrow.com.