Miscarriage may seem invisible to many but it is a reality that can affect a couple or woman. The expectations and joy of what if can all be lost in a miscarriage. The lost of a life whether born or not yet born may be less visible but it is still a real loss of a child. The loss of a child takes away the status of motherhood or fatherhood potentially to individuals.
Miscarriages represent true loss. Many parents suffer without any consolation. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification
The article, “Early Miscarriage Is An Invisible Loss, But The Grief Is Real” discusses this loss. Beth Bailey states,
“There was nothing chemical about the pregnancy my body briefly nurtured. Its effects may have been invisible to those around me, but the child was real and much desired. The loss was greatly mourned.”
This type of loss is common but rarely acknowledged as true loss for many. To read the entire article, please click here
Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals
Grief is pivotal, central and important emotion in human life. It is forever tied to the fallen human condition and deeply connected to the emotion of love. Grief is more than just a sentient emotion but an emotion felt in many animals as well. Hence grief is beyond intellect but also instinctive and evolutionary.
Individuals do consciously grieve and understand the loss but grief also is a natural reaction to loss at the most simple level. Grief as a formula is simply put love plus loss equals grief. Love is a binding emotion. Love ties one to another person or thing. Through value of the possessed and habit of possessing, anything that removes that love or thing causes discomfort. This discomfort is grief.
Grief is a healthy and natural reaction to loss. It helps one adjust to loss and adjust to the change that comes with losing something or someone we love
The grief reaction to loss varies and is correlated to the value of the loved person or thing. If something has little value, then the loss is inconsequential. If something or someone has great value in in one’s life, then the loss is very consequential. Some losses can be small and insignificant while other losses can be life altering. The greater the loss, the greater the grief.
The loss may be objective or subjective in value according to the person. Someone who was raised by his or her grandparents will grieve the loss of a grandparent more than someone who only saw his or her grandparents once a year. Loss can also be subjective in that is may seem odd to others. For example, some may find it extremely odd to mourn the loss of a pet, while pet owners would disagree completely. Again the subjective value is key in understanding the loss reaction.
While grief in many ways is abides by universal standards and reactions, one must also realize that the reactions within this wide norm differs extremely. So while grief is universal it is still unique.
Grief as stated is not only a conscious pain but also a unconscious reaction. The grave importance of grief is to help the person or animal adjust to the loss. The adjustment process is a long mourning period where one learns how to cope without the person or thing. Most non complicated grief reactions to significant loss lasts six months to a year before it becomes labeled as pathological or complicated. This does not guarantee that grief goes away within a set time, but it does illustrate that new coping strategies are incorporated into the person’s life to better deal with the loss on a day to day basis.
Grief allows one’s mental self to heal. It permits the body to mourn and adjust to loss. Long ago this natural adjustment and self healing was considered a pathology in itself but psychology now teaches that grief is an important transitional ingredient in healing. It should not be dismissed or rejected but fully accepted as a normal and healthy reaction to loss. Seeing grief as something bad or unhealthy is a dangerous view to hold. Grief instead is the body reacting to loss and learning to adjust to that loss in a more healthy way. Complete adjustment is a simple lie. This is the price of love. Anything worth loving is never worth forgetting or missing but grieving allows our mind to heal and learn to exist differently.
Grief hence has a very important function in healing but grief is also a social sign to others. In animals especially, signs of grief permits other members of the community to help the grieving animal to recover. The same social signs of grief, tears, crying and emotional withdraw signify to family and friends that one needs help. Grieving hence serves a signal to the community to help those who are sad or depressed. It is a social subconscious distress symbol to family and friends.
Grief because of this is not something bad. Losing something or someone is bad but the reaction to it is not bad. If there was no reaction to loss, then one would be merely a non sentient creature merely existing from meal to meal. Instead, the reaction to loss not only serves as a healthy reaction to loss that leads to recovery, but it is also a sentient reaction to something or someone that was very special.
It allows one to heal and alert others of distress but it forever reminds one the value of what was lost. It never allows one to forget the beloved and the love that was shared. This grief becomes part of who we are the moment we enter into love or deep communion with another human being. If one did not grieve, then what value is that relationship? Grieving is important in identifying what mattered most and not allowing what mattered most to be ever forgotten.
Grieving in its later stages, pushes individuals to healthy coping measures where acute depression is replaced with action. Memoralizing and living a certain way in honor of the beloved becomes healthy and conducive expressions of grief. In national losses, social action for better laws or prevention of future loss are a result of healthy coping produced through grief. Grief hence is an important emotion in being human and living a healthy human life.
Avoiding grief can lead to complications. We need to accept grief and realize it is price of love. Please also review our Grief Counselor Program
Suffering and loss are products of an imperfect world. Those of faith pray and hope that the next world will have no suffering and loss. They pray that grief will only be a necessary emotion in the temporal world and not the after life. In this, those of faith can cope even better than those of no faith. The reality regardless of faith though is that one must escape and embrace grief while in this world if they wish to cope and live a healthy life.
Certified grief counselors can help individuals cope with grief and embrace it a healthy way. Change is never an easy thing but through help, one can utilize grief to better adjust and adapt to loss. The American Academy of Grief Counseling offers a comprehensive program in Grief Counseling. Certified grief counselors learn the basics of grieving and are trained to help others. Beyond the basic Grief Counseling certification, members and qualified professionals can also specialize in Child and Adolescent Grief Counseling, Pet Loss Grief Support, and Christian Grief Counseling.
The programs are online and independent study. After completion of the online program, one can become certified for four years. If you are interested in learning more about the American Academy of Grief Counseling’s certification program then please review the program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals. Once certified as a Grief Counselor, you can then become able to help others face grief in a healthy and natural way.
Meditation is an age old practice. It is associated with spirituality but also over all health. While originally spiritual in essence, in recent years it has become an alternative health practice in the West.
Meditation, especially Eastern Meditation, is still very spiritual even if Westerners only look for the health benefits
Meditation is not just a fad but is an excellent tool for better health, stress reduction, and a better mental outlook. For those who are spiritual, it is also an immensely useful tool in becoming closer with God. Eastern as well as Western religions utilize it. In this blog, we will look at the most prominent types of meditation, their uses and the health benefits associated. We will also review AIHCP’s Meditation Instructor Certification.
Meditation as a spiritual tool is its oldest use. Meditation in the far East was used to become closer to God. Hinduism looks for reunification. The soul tries to reunify with Brahman. Through meditation, this reunification can occur sooner in life or lives. With this in mind, many of the techniques used for relaxation are focused on helping the mind escape the body.
In Christianity, meditation has a different use. Reunification with divinity is not the purpose but becoming closer to God. While it may appear the same there are fundamental differences in this. In the East, there is total union. There is no longer separation between beings but everything itself becomes being. In the West, the difference between Creator and creation is maintained. So union is quite different in these traditions.
Whichever religion one may be, spiritual meditation is a critical part of any faith. As a deeper form of prayer, it allows one to deeply communicate with the divine and become spiritually closer. This is essential in any religious and spiritual relationship. Individuals look to not only become better persons but also become closer with their God.
Since meditation has come to the West, many of the Eastern techniques have been utilized in secular settings. Christian Meditation has not become as secular, but only Eastern meditation. It is important to note this for individuals who wish to use Eastern meditation as a health option but also avoid any spiritual aspects that may contradict their faith. Caution is needed for these Christian Westerners who wish to meditation for health purposes.
Those not seeking any type of spiritual connection look for the mind and body benefits of meditation solely. Mindfulness Meditation is an Eastern use. It is very popular for executives and stressed individuals. This type of meditation looks to focus on all thoughts and words. This type of meditation has no judgement upon what thoughts enter. Another type of meditation is Transcendental Meditation. This meditation is more structured and scientifically studied. As the most popular form of meditation, it is used by those who are more serious about meditating. The structure is far more deep than mindfulness meditation. (1)
Other forms of meditation include mantra meditation where words are recited. Also focused meditation utilizes all five senses. Another type of meditation involves movement, such as yoga. Ultimately, all types of meditation were originally intended for spiritual ends but their health benefits can also be utilized.
Obviously the health benefits of meditation beyond the spiritual are multiple. Stress reduction is the biggest reason anyone utilizes meditation. From stressed parents to high end executives, individuals look to meditation to find relaxation and less stress. The results are more calm and less hormones from stress, such as cortisol, that can cause higher blood pressure and issues with the heart. In addition to this benefit, meditation also helps the immune system, reduces muscle aches, can ease inflammation, and help relax muscles for better movement. (2)
Meditation has numerous health benefits but primarily helps fight stress and stress related ailments
In addition to this, mentally meditation can help the mind with anxiety, depression, as well as other mental stresses. A calmer, clearer mind is beneficial for all health systems within the body. When meditation is combined with other alternative health practices, such as hypnotherapy or EFT, one can even see better results against other mental issues.
With so many benefits, many individuals are looking to learn how to meditate. They are individually practicing, or looking for groups to join. Meditation books, videos, and meditation classes are in larger demand. Individuals, as well as corporations are looking to train in meditation for the multitude of benefits. This is also true in the work place, where employers are even utilizing meditation instructors to train employees in mindfulness.
Certified Meditation Instructors are excellent candidates to help meet these needs. Meditation Instructors can offer classes, advice and training to firms, corporations, as well as individuals. They can offer small classes or large classes. Individuals with an interest in meditation and various backgrounds in healthcare, or education in healthcare and meditation are great candidates to become certified meditation instructors. Life coaches, trainers, nurses, massage therapists, spiritual gurus or those with education in the subject can all take advantage of the interest in meditation. They can then utilize their skills helping the general public benefit from the mental and physical aspects of meditation. Again, the biggest movement towards meditation is the secular crowd looking for mental and physical health benefits.
The American Institute of Health Care Professionals offers a certification for Meditation Instructors. The Meditation Instructor Certification is an online, self paced program designed for working professionals. The program entails online courses that educate the individual in the basics of meditation. After completing the required meditation courses, the individual can then apply for a four year certification. The certification can be renewed every four years. During the four year spans, the meditation instructor must display five hundred hours of work within the field of meditation, as well as fifty hours of continuing education.
Learn how to become a certified Meditation Instructor. You can then help others learn the value of meditation in their daily lives
The courses again are online and self paced. After the completion of each course, one receives a certificate of completion. The American Institute of Health Care Professional has offered this certification for over Fifteen years and has successfully certified individuals throughout the country in many different career settings. If you are interested or would like to become a certified Meditation Instructor, then please review the Meditation Program and see if it meets your professional and academic goals.
In the meantime, meditation continues to become a growing field. Individuals from every aspect of private and professional life are utilizing its benefits. With such a growing marker, qualified professionals can offer their services and benefit in this business field.
There is nothing more unexpected and more traumatic than a school shooting. The lasting grief and forever scars on the survivors are unfathomable. Family, fellow students, and the community all suffer traumatically from such senseless loss.
Mass shootings are the things of nightmares and a traumatic form of loss and grief. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification
The article, “Lasting Grief After a Mass Shooting” by Ashley Fetters looks closer at this horrific pain and loss. The article states,
“Mass shootings often result in a particularly difficult kind of grief known as traumatic grief. Littleton describes traumatic grief as a PTSD reaction that occurs when someone is grieving over another person’s violent or unexpected death; in other words, traumatic grief occurs when someone has PTSD symptoms on top of grief symptoms.”
Unfortunately this type of grief is all too common for America as a collective whole. We all suffer from this loss in some way, with some more intimately connected than others.
Interesting article on experiencing grief at a young age and how it affects one in adulthood.
The article, “Tragedy, magical thinking, and the lasting impact of grief” by Geraldine de Brit looks at a tragic loss of her mother and sibling in an accident and how she felt and adapted through the years.
Tragic loss and a young age can have life long implications. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification
The article states,
“Even now, 42 years later, this event still has the ability to feel unreal, like it must have been a mistake and I ask myself, “ how could it have happened? How could I not have seen them in all this time?” In such moments it can even feel like they might still come back, like I am leading an interim life until they do.”
Please also review our Christian Counseling Certification
The title of this blog, the “Joy of Receiving” may surprise a few at first but the role a Christian plays in accepting something is as important in the role they play in giving. We have heard the phrase, “it is truly better to give than to receive” but like all reciprocal relationships, there needs to a proper balance.
If one only takes, then obviously one can detect a clear selfish individual who preys upon the generosity of others. If one only takes, then they are unable to share, or help others in life. These individuals tend to be more materialistic and greed filled. They feel no need to share their talents, or share their gifts to others. They care very little for the poor or others in need. The thought of making someone’s else day a better day through a simple generous gesture is beyond their comprehension. Ultimately, they are unable to experience the reciprocity of love because they only take. I feel many of the Biblical warnings of greed and selfishness address their spiritual deficiencies.
And yet upon the opposite spectrum, while the Christian who only gives truly sees the more spiritual path, they must also learn to occasionally take with joy as well. If they do not learn to accept or take, then first, how can they ever accept the greatest gift of all, redemption? Jesus Christ gave us the ultimate gift through his death and we must accept this gift without hesitation if we are to have salvation.
In this reality, love is a reciprocal act. It is not poached through greed or selfishness but mutual self-giving. Love is a reciprocal action of mutual giving and receiving. In this reality, a Christian must not only give, but also be able to receive. This is critical to understand if one is to understand love and its relational status.
Love is recipocal and involves giving but also receiving for it to be able to function
Those who tend to the extreme of only giving, fail to experience the love of being accepted, being loved and given something special, but they also fail to allow others to experience the same joy of giving they experience. Sometimes even the saintly fail in this category. They are very dismissive to receive from another out of an over religious zeal of unworthiness. At the other extreme, some may feel the obligation to give and give out of a sense of duty and when that duty is challenged, their pride is hurt.
Jesus taught us the opposite. He gave completely but when the times came, he permitted others the joy of giving. We see this clearly when the women at the house cleaned his feet with the most previous oils. We also see it at his birth, when the Magi brought the three precious gifts.
As Christians, we must have a balanced spiritual life. We must give as Christ gave, but we must also allow others to experience the joy of giving as well. This means letting go of possible pride, or false unworthiness and accept gifts with Christian joy. In doing so, we balance the reciprocity of love and allow others to experience the gift of giving itself. We must learn to accept gifts, the way we accept Christ’s ultimate gift on the cross with love. In doing so, we will better be able to share in the reciprocity of love that is both giving and accepting.
Good article on dealing with stress at work and navigating through it with your team. Reducing stress is critical in Stress Management and can be used in the professional setting to calm employees and increase productivity. Please click here to learn more about stress reduction.
The article, How To Negotiate With Your Team In Stressful Situations, by Tanya Tarr lists how a team leader can help manage his or her team through stressful and difficult situations. She states,
“My whole team is going to quit,” read a text from my friend and former client, Janice (not her real name). Janice is a new manager, working for an exciting start-up in the health and tech space. As is often the dynamic of start-up life, every task is urgent and everything needed to be done yesterday. But Janice knew this approach to project management was creating near-toxic conditions for her newly-created team of ten.”
Good article on how good chronic care management can be very cost effective and also help patients with their overall health
The article, Chronic care management program showing signs of saving money, improving care, by Virgil Dickson states,
“A CMS experiment that compensates doctors to improve care for the sickest Medicare beneficiaries is showing signs of both saving money and improving quality.
Since 2015 the CMS paid physicians an average of $50 per patient per month for consulting with specialists and coordinating chronic-care services.”
If you are a nurse or a healthcare professional, you may discover that this certification in Healthcare Case Management will be very helpful in your academic or professional careers. Please review our Healthcare Management Certification
Please also if you a behavioral professional or a licensed healthcare professional consider becoming certified in Substance Abuse Counseling. This certification is offered by the American Institute of Health Care Professionals
