Loss and Healing

Over the years I’ve had numerous requests for bracelets to help people who experience loss. Loss is keenly felt when it involves a significant change in one’s life and we typically think of death. Loss also comes with the derailment of a career, a broken relationship, sense of homelessness, and/or declining health. Loss is painful, it alters our hopes and expectations for the future and can feel overwhelming.

Grieving is how we cope with loss. The process of grieving can be a long journey and healing often involves strong, consuming, and frequently conflicting emotions. It is a unique experience for each person, and everyone works through the various phases at their own pace.

To better identify crystals that will assist in the healing process, I had to revisit what it means to grieve. When coping with loss, it is important to be patient with yourself and others: everyone needs support. It can be a lonely experience.

There are roughly five basic stages of grief and the process in which someone experiences these follows a similar path. Envision emotional paths which loop about, intersect, and where one can run ahead and turn back. It is all about learning how to heal anew rather than reclaim what was.

Stage 1 – Denial

Denial is a natural defense mechanism, particularly when the loss comes as a shock. At this stage of grief, the magnitude of change is still being realized. Too painful to acknowledge, emotions can be jumbled, intense and conflicting.

Stage 2 – Anger

Feelings of frustration, injustice, betrayal, abandonment, and loneliness are sometimes channeled into anger. This intense emotion can be directed at anyone, even friends and family. It is, nonetheless, part of the process.

Stage 3 – Bargaining

Attempts to recreate what was and avoid pain. Feelings of helplessness can foster a revisit to details with a hope of regaining control. This phase involves attempts to negotiate a different outcome to recapture the emotional state of how things had been.

Stage 4 – Depression

We start to realize what we have lost, and reflection may amplify the pain. The intensity of emotions which have been held at bay can be exhausting or leave with a sense of emptiness and confusion. This can be a particularly lonely and vulnerable time for people.

Everyone deserves support. If you’re thinking about suicide, are worried about a friend or loved one, or would like emotional support, the Lifeline network is available 24/7 across the United States. Call 800-273-8255. Alternatively, you can text “START” to 741741.

Stage 5 – Acceptance

At this stage one is ready to come to terms with and process the loss. We find emotional balance, a better sense of control, and moments of peace. It is easier to reflect on happier memories and to begin to move forward. In this stage we realize moments to re-engage with family, friends and build new connections.

Healing Gemstones

  • Amethyst

    brings emotional comfort. It helps alleviate sadness and soothes irritability. This gem can help when dealing with anger, fear, and anxiety.

  • Aquamarine

    is calming and quiets the mind. It brings courage in times of grief to help one move forward.

  • Black Onyx

    is protective and grounding. This gem helps process grief. Onyx brings strength, emotional balance, self-control, a sense of security, and fosters happiness and good fortune.

  • Lepidolite

    is a stone of transition. It dissipates negative energy and helps release past trauma and suffering.

  • Moonstone

    for coping with cycles of change and embracing new beginnings. Moonstone soothes conflicting emotions, and assuages feelings of numbness, shock, and fear.

  • Rainbow Obsidian

    for healing emotional traumas, it promotes strength and courage.

  • Rhodonite

    is a grounding heart stone. It helps steady imbalanced emotions to deal with shock and panic. It also helps clear old emotional wounds and make room in your heart for healthy connections. Find ways to let go of pain. With both compassion and forgiveness one can begin to adjust to new circumstances.

  • Rose Quartz

    is the stone of love. It soothes feelings of loss and bereavement. Encourages self-compassion which nurtures emotional calm.

  • Smoky Quartz

    is a powerful grounding gem. It ushers calming strength to overcome negativity, sadness, and depression. Since peaceful reflection helps understand the resentment or disappointment which fuels anger, this helps channel a healthy way to express these feelings.

  • Clear Quartz

    is considered a master healer which balances the mind, body and soul. Clear quartz amplifies the effects of other crystals