The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations
This podcast focuses on surviving life after a suicide loss, an experience that can be devastating and leave you feeling lost as you try to pick up the pieces of your shattered heart. The host, Melissa Bottorff-Arey, lost her 21-year-old son, Alex, to suicide on August 7, 2016, and brings (& often shares) her insights from her personal journey.
In each episode, Melissa engages in honest and challenging conversations with other survivors of loss, healers, and mental health experts. She also produces shorter solo episodes where she reflects on her own thoughts and experiences thus far. The podcast covers a wide range of relevant topics and addresses difficult questions. Melissa explores all aspects of grief, including trauma, hope, healing, self-care, legacy, and stigma. She believes that we learn to live alongside our grief rather than getting over it. Actual change comes through authentic, meaningful connections and mindful choices.
For supporters or educators, these conversations provide valuable insights and shine a light on suicide and grief genuinely and unapologetically. Listeners who are grieving a suicide loss can find comfort in the community and hope for a better tomorrow. Melissa aims to help others, like herself, transition from merely surviving to discovering a life filled with meaning and, potentially, even happiness amid the leftover pieces around you. You can always schedule a time to chat about being a guest from my main website.
[Please NOTE: This podcast is for only relational, informational, and entertainment purposes. It candidly and openly discusses sensitive and sometimes activating topics. There will be no in-depth or graphic descriptions of the method, but merely the possible mention of suicide, murder, rape, and the like. Be guided and care for yourself accordingly. Also, Melissa is not a doctor or licensed therapist, and nothing on this podcast should be taken in place of, or as, medical/mental health advice or recommendations.]
The Leftover Pieces; Suicide Loss Conversations
Sharon Ehler's; Grief Reiki Founder & Author
Today I share my conversation with Sharon Ehlers. She lost her best friend Joy and ex-fiancé John within a few years of each other, both to suicide. Sharon is the founder of Grief Reiki® - a multidimensional approach to grief and loss using emotional recovery, Reiki and other spirituality-based tools. She is also an award-winning Author, Grief Educator, Death Midwife and Reiki Master Teacher. She has three beautiful children and lives in Los Angeles, CA.
She talks about the isolation she felt after her losses as well as the immense affect on her outlook on life and ultimately she took a completely new path. She discusses how she started down this path by allowing herself to be led from spirit. She discusses how reiki was a stronger tool for her - as she was using before her loss - but she also discusses how her spiritual connection became more dialed in and developed as well.
She de-mystifies Reiki for us - us as basic laymen, AND we also dive a (little) deeper into energy healing and the whys and how's of it working. Energy is everywhere and it's everything. Once we accept it - harnessing energy is easy and it IS SO HEALING!!! This is a fun and enlightening conversation and Sharon has wisdom worth listening to!
Sharon's website is Greif -Reiki where you can find a great bog and SO MUCH MORE!
Here's her blog post "How Grief Walking Saved Me"
Sharon's Books are: Grief Reiki and Grief Diaries, Surviving Loss by Suicide
Her Oracle Cards are available per the App Store or here on Amazon
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My brand NEW website "The Leftover Pieces; Rebuilding You" is LIVE and that means my 2 x/mo FREE SUPPORT GROUP is available AND my first coaching options are available. The first (3 month) group is planned to begin NOVEMBER 3 and there will be a new group begin every 10 weeks after. There will be limited spots in each group so let me know if you want on the notify list! These groups will be one part community, one part discovery/growth. I believe these two things are intertwined for us in the earlier stages of grief especially.
Interested? Please DM me on Instagram or email me at anytime melissa@theleftoverpieces.com
The website will be at www.theleftoverpieces.com (naturally, right?)
Please reach out to me if you know of someone that I should talk to or if you yourself would like to have a conversation around the suicide loss and grief space. Instagram is probably still the best way to contact me or directly through email. I am already scheduling people into this FALL so it's not too soon to reach out!
If you, or someone you know, is struggling with suicidal thoughts PLEASE reach out:
The National Suicide Lifeline is there for you
IN a crisis you can also TEXT--->
TEXT the word "HOME" to 741741 in the USA
in Canada TEXT 686868
in the UK TEXT 85258
And Grievers, I am always here. You can find me on at The Leftover Pieces