No Wrong Way to Grieve: Holding Space for Complicated Loss

Grief Is Not a Straight Line

Grief has a way of reshaping the world. It doesn’t ask permission. It doesn’t follow rules. It arrives in its own time, stays as long as it needs, and often returns when you least expect it.

In life, you’ve likely experienced grief yourself or witnessed it in someone close to you. Some carry fresh sorrow, still raw and tender. Others hold losses from years ago that continue to echo. And through all of it, one truth remains: no grief is the same. And no grief is wrong.

The Complexity of Loss

When someone we love dies, it can feel like the ground beneath us has shifted. But love isn’t always simple. Sometimes, the person we’ve lost is someone we had a complicated relationship with, someone who hurt us, or someone we never fully understood. In those cases, grief can be layered with guilt, anger, confusion, or even relief. That doesn’t make it any less valid. It just makes it more human.

Grief isn’t just sadness. It’s a mix of emotions that can change from day to day. You might feel numb one moment and overwhelmed the next. You might laugh at a memory and cry at the silence it leaves behind. You might feel nothing for weeks, then suddenly everything all at once.

This is normal.

Time Doesn’t Always Heal, But It Does Change Things

There’s a common belief that grief fades with time. But for many, it doesn’t fade… it simply changes shape. It becomes quieter, less constant, but still present. It can resurface around birthdays, holidays, or anniversaries. It can sneak up during a song, a scent, or a moment of stillness.

Some people feel their grief just as strongly years later as they did the day it began. That doesn’t mean they’re stuck. It means they’re still connected. Grief is a reflection of love, and love doesn’t disappear.

You Don’t Have to Grieve Alone

One of the most powerful ways to navigate grief is through connection. Group therapy offers a space where grief is not hidden or rushed, but shared. In a circle of others who are also grieving, something shifts. You begin to see your own story in theirs. You begin to feel less alone.

Group therapy doesn’t fix grief. It holds it. It allows you to speak your truth, to be witnessed, and to witness others. It’s a place where silence is respected, tears are welcome, and healing happens slowly, together.

If you’re grieving—whether your loss is recent or long ago, simple or complicated, we invite you to join us. You don’t need to have the right words. You don’t need to be “doing it well.” You just need to show up.

Grief is not a problem to solve. It’s a part of life to honour. And you don’t have to honour it alone.