Grief Massage Mindset

Interview: "The Grief Protocol" Author & Licensed Massage Therapist Karen Weitz

Have you read the beautiful book "The Grief Protocol: Solutions to Address Our Bodies' Hardwired Reaction to Grief"? If not, you should! The lovely author, Karen E. Weitz, LMT, joined me on the podcast to speak about the "epiphany" that led her to tap into somatic practices to heal her own grief from multiple losses, and how addressing the physical nature of her own grief led to significant shifts in how she began to care for her massage clients. Karen wrote her book to share specific practices and protocols that helped her heal from the physiological impacts of her own multiple losses, and to help educate others about the power of a somatic approach to grief work. In this interview she shares from her personal story and spoke to the need for cultural shifts in our collective approach to grief, advocates for grieving as a natural part of being human, and speaks about the need for simple, accessible body-based tools to address the stress response that can accompany loss. Find Karen: Website: www.thegriefprotocol.com [https://www.thegriefprotocol.com] Instagram: @karenweitz_lmt6163 Facebook: @karen.weitz Find Karen's Book: Balboa Press [https://www.balboapress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/866438-the-grief-protocol] Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/Grief-Protocol-Solutions-Hardwired-Reaction/dp/B0FQK3WZ3F] Barnes & Noble [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/the-grief-protocol-karen-e-weitz-lmt/1148264684] Booksamillion [https://www.booksamillion.com/p/Grief-Protocol/Karen-E-Weitz-Lmt/9798765264560] Stay Connected With Us This episode is brought to you by The Institute for Grief Massage Inc. Join our mailing list for updates about our 15 CE Grief Massage courses (live and Zoom), 40 CE Grief Massage courses (live, Zoom and fully recorded), Reiki for Grief Tenders class, and "Tending to the Need for Touch" training for mental health professionals. You'll get a free subscription to our monthly digital Grief Massage Magazine, access to our 2024 Grief Massage summit, and downloadable freebies and guides. Join right here [https://griefmassage.org/contact]. The information provided in this podcast is for information and educational purposes only. No information offered on the podcast is a replacement for medical or mental health care. If you are in need of medical, mental health, or other forms of care please seek out a licensed professional. Dial 988 for crisis support in the United States. The views of podcast guests are their own and may not necessarily reflect the views of the host or The Institute for Grief Massage Inc. Copyright 2025.

Interview: Grief Self-Care Author Alexandra N. Carroll

Have you read "Untangling Life After Loss: A Griever's Guide to Creating a Self-Care Plan?" If not, you should! The lovely author, Alexandra N. Carroll, PhD. joined me on the podcast to share a window into her own personal heartbreak with the death of her beloved mother and how self-care helped her survive the heaviness of this loss. Alexandra was working in academia when she experienced the unexpected death of her mother and amid the fast paced demands of her busy life, she crafted an approach to self-care that allowed her to slow down and nurture herself. In this interview she shared some of her favorite simple self-care approaches (such as tea drinking, crafting and lowering expectations for what self-care in grief looks like). She also spoke about the impact grief had on her body and why self-care practices became a cherished survival tool in the ten years following her loss. Alexandra is warm, engaging, open-hearted and so willing to be vulnerable about self-care in times of grief. I am so grateful that she wrote this book and was willing to talk with me! Her book will be required reading for all massage therapists who train to facilitate "Self Care in the First Years of Grief" groups through my upcoming 2026 training program! Find Alexandra: Facebook [https://www.facebook.com/alxandracarroll] Alexandra's Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/alxandracarroll/] Alexandra's Website [https://ancarroll.com] Find Alexandra's Book: Amazon [https://www.amazon.com/Untangling-Life-After-Loss-Self-Care/dp/B0DGVS7Z9W] Barnes & Noble [https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/untangling-life-after-loss-alexandra-n-carroll-phd/1146286391] Balboa Press [https://www.balboapress.com/en/bookstore/bookdetails/790147-untangling-life-after-loss] Powells [https://om/book/untangling-life-after-loss-a-grievers-guide-to-creating-a-self-care-plan-9798765248348?srsltid=AfmBOopXnQ67F3hbnb4yw9oLbHMQvlOchpcaSVKleIlGpb5g4zB1gXg8] Stay Connected With Us This episode is brought to you by The Institute for Grief Massage Inc. Join our mailing list for updates about our 15 CE Grief Massage courses (live and Zoom), 40 CE Grief Massage courses (live, Zoom and fully recorded), Reiki for Grief Tenders class, and "Tending to the Need for Touch" training for mental health professionals. You'll get a free subscription to our monthly digital Grief Massage Magazine, access to our 2024 Grief Massage summit, and downloadable freebies and guides. Join right here [https://griefmassage.org/contact]. The information provided in this podcast is for information and educational purposes only. No information offered on the podcast is a replacement for medical or mental health care. If you are in need of medical, mental health, or other forms of care please seek out a licensed professional. Dial 988 for crisis support in the United States. The views of podcast guests are their own and may not necessarily reflect the views of the host or The Institute for Grief Massage Inc. Copyright 2025.

Interview: Grief Bodyworker Krystal Marie Capizzo

Do you know Krystal Marie Capizzo? She is an inspiring licensed massage therapist from Michigan who experienced multiple losses over the past few years, found solace and understanding through the Grief Massage education she received from Jennica Klemann, and went on to create her own soulful Grief Bodywork modality. In this interview, Krystal shares about her own grief journey, what she learned in Jennica's class that helped her most, how the concept of disenfranchised grief applies to her work, and why she is so passionate and commited to serving grieving clients in her community. She also shares about her latest project - developing a Grief Bodywork training program as well as an educational training about grief for medical workers. I thoroughly enjoyed being in Krystal's presence for this interview. She has such an open heart and such a beautiful perspective on grief and massage therapy. Find Krystal: Facebook - Willow Roots Holistic Healing [https://willowrootsholistichealing.com] & Krystal Marie LMT [https://www.facebook.com/krystal.marie.lmt] Instagram - Willow Roots Holistic Healing [https://www.instagram.com/willow_roots_holistic_healing/] & Bodywork_by_Krystal_Marie [https://www.instagram.com/bodywork_by_krystal_marie/] Resources Recommended by Krystal: Grief Educator David Kessler's "Tender Hearts" Community [https://www.davidkesslertraining.com/tenderhearts] Book on Pet Loss "And I Love You Still" [https://www.drjcorbin.com/about-2] by Julie Ann Corbin Jennica Klemann's Class "Caring for Grievers With Confidence" [https://griefreliefwithjennica.solutions/class-registration] Stay Connected With Us This episode is brought to you by The Institute for Grief Massage Inc. Join our mailing list for updates about our 15 CE Grief Massage courses (live and Zoom), 40 CE Grief Massage courses (live, Zoom and fully recorded), Reiki for Grief Tenders class, and "Tending to the Need for Touch" training for mental health professionals. You'll get a free subscription to our monthly digital Grief Massage Magazine, access to our 2024 Grief Massage summit, and downloadable freebies and guides. Join here [https://griefmassage.org/contact].

Why Grief Massage is Counter-Cultural & What Cultural Grief-Stress Is

Did you know that our unique time and place impacts how stressful grieving can be? It's true. In the dominant North American, Western culture (especially in the US where Aimee lives), grievers can often feel misunderstood, isolated, and even shamed by societal expectations that: -they should grieve faster -that they should have a "positive" mindset about their loss -that they should get "back to normal" Aimee shares her least favorite statement that our society often burdens grievers with ("You need to let this go") and how it is an example of cultural grief-stress. She also shares some personal experiences of having grief invalidated by our society and shares her thoughts and opinions about how we as Grief Massage practitioners can be counter-cultural by creating safe spaces for grievers and by advocating for truly compassionate grief care. When we exist, when Grief Massage exists, we are asserting that: -grievers deserve safe spaces to be honest about how hard loss actually is -that grief is not a problem to be "fixed" -that grief is sacred and our humanity needs to be honored This episode is the seventh in a unique series in which Aimee goes through her 40 hour "The Joy of Grief Massage" online course as a student and reflects on each section. This episode was recorded in response to section 7 of the 30 total sections in Class 1: Grief, the Body and the Nervous System. You will hear a short 1 minute snippet of Section 7 (listening to the snippets featured in these episodes is not a substitute for taking the class). Listen along and please join Aimee for all of the upcoming 30 episodes featuring her responses to the learning sections of Class 1. Once we have gone through all sections of Class 1, we will also be recording episodes based on Classes 2, 3, 4 and 5. Learn more about our fully recorded, self-paced 40 hour Grief Massage training course on our school website: https://the-institute-for-grief-massage-inc.thinkific.com/courses/class-1-grief-the-body-the-nervous-system-article-series [https://the-institute-for-grief-massage-inc.thinkific.com/courses/class-1-grief-the-body-the-nervous-system-article-series] Follow our Grief Massage work at our website: www.griefmassage.org [https://www.griefmassage.org] Stay in touch on Instagram: @theinstituteforgriefmassage Find us on Facebook: @theinstituteforgriefmassage TW: AImee discusses a personal suicide loss in this episode. Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline [https://988lifeline.org] if you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.

What Grief Massage Therapists Need to Know About: Loss Reminders

Did you know that grievers experiencing any type of loss, ranging from the death of a loved one to a job loss, often experience cascades of activating nervous system events (stressors) due to loss reminders? Loss reminders can range from smells that recall elements of the loss, visual cues such as seeing someone who resembles the one who died, sounds (hearing something that reminds them the loss occurred or music that brings up feelings about the loss), and even environmental cues such as going to the grocery store and seeing a loved one's favorite foods that no longer need to be purchased. Loss reminders are common after a recent loss but can also occur years down the road. Aimee shares some personal loss reminders that occurred recently for her, 15 years after the death of her mother, as she was going through some of her mother's personal belongings recently. She shares how it impacted her body and nervous system (and how she used gentle touch to cope and ground). This episode is the sixth in a unique series in which Aimee goes through her 40 hour "The Joy of Grief Massage" online course as a student and reflects on each section. This episode was recorded in response to section 6 of the 30 total sections in Class 1: Grief, the Body and the Nervous System. You will hear a short 1 minute snippet of Section 6 (listening to the snippets featured in these episodes is not a substitute for taking the class). Aimee also shares how a snowglobe can be a beautiful and helpful metaphor for the way that loss reminders "shake up" a griever's nervous system. Listen along and please join Aimee for all of the upcoming 30 episodes featuring her responses to the learning sections of Class 1. Once we have gone through all sections of Class 1, we will also be recording episodes based on Classes 2, 3, 4 and 5. Learn more about our fully recorded, self-paced 40 hour Grief Massage training course on our school website: https://the-institute-for-grief-massage-inc.thinkific.com/courses/class-1-grief-the-body-the-nervous-system-article-series [https://the-institute-for-grief-massage-inc.thinkific.com/courses/class-1-grief-the-body-the-nervous-system-article-series] Follow our Grief Massage work at our website: www.griefmassage.org [https://www.griefmassage.org] Stay in touch on Instagram: @theinstituteforgriefmassage Find us on Facebook: @theinstituteforgriefmassage TW: AImee discusses a personal suicide loss in this episode. Contact the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline [https://988lifeline.org] if you are experiencing mental health-related distress or are worried about a loved one who may need crisis support.