Ocean of Emotion: A Journey of Love through Loss with Kylee Gies

I am Sending out a smoke signal to those who have lost a child(s)! This workshop is designed to support and empower the grief journey of bereaved parents. Losing a child is an excruciating process that can be wild and untamed no matter the age of the child(s) or the backstories that accompany your loss(es). It can repeatedly bring you to your knees, demanding you to face personal thresholds and unchartered seas. It is an “Ocean of Emotion” that comes in sets as we attempt to ‘grief surf’the best we can with available resources. Where there is intense pain, there is deep abounding love. The intensity does decrease over the years; however, grief will persist in new forms if it hasn’t been acknowledged and tended to. I know this firsthand as a bereaved Mother, grief advocate/educator, and supportive presence and resource.

There is no wrong way to grieve! There is no timeline for your own “hero’s journey.” There are, however, poignant choices to make for the survival and personal growth of your own human evolution along the way. How do you intend on living a life full of presence, meaning, and joy after losing a child(s)? How do you manage the heavy emotions while tending to your own healing process? And how do you keep your grief journey in motion including the embrace of stagnation? These are some of the questions we will ‘creatively’ dive into within this 4.5-hour workshop.

“Grief is healing in motion. It is the necessary current we need to carry us into our next becoming. Without it, we may remain stuck in that area of our life, which can limit the whole spectrum of our feeling alive. When it can finally come into the open to be seen, it is exposed to new conditions, and it begins to move.” ~ Toko-pa

Intentions for this workshop:

- To share our experiences with others in a safe container

- To learn some tools for leaning into grief and metabolizing heavy emotions

- To connect with the element of water to restore ourselves

- To create meaning of personal loss through narrative, nature, and expressive art modalities

- To gain insight about the connection between Love and Loss

- To inspire movement and self-awareness in the grieving process

We will be surrounded by the nourishment of nature while spending our time together underneath a Marquees stretch tent as our ‘sacred dwelling’. We will walk through a powerful healing process that will evoke connection, love, vulnerability, and awareness. Grief is a form of Love. Come as you are to share your love and bring somebody who could benefit from this offering. Chances are you will leave feeling held, uplifted, and empowered by our collective heart space.

“We are not accustomed to thinking of grief as a process of finding comfort” -George Bonanno

You will have the opportunity to:

- Connect with others who understand

- Create a group altar in honor of our loved ones and ourselves

- Relax, restore, and ground your body in ‘gentle’ guided movement and meditation (no level of experience necessary)

- Using metaphor as a tool to help you reflect and to cultivate curiosity

- We will be making a ‘Jar of Transformation’ as an integrative grief tool to take home. This ‘heART ‘work will give you an outlet for expression and flow of ‘emotion’. We will engage with a few creative exercises using our jars. Materials included.

- To join the Sound bath with Adam Riehl  right after the workshop from 3:30 PM- 4:30 PM at a reduced price of $25

About Kylee:

Kylee is a certified Creative Grief Support Practitioner and owner of Sacred Dwelling LLC. After the loss of her son Oliver, she has been following the calling to support other bereaved Mothers/parents along with people who inevitably face grief journeys. Kylee holds space with love and compassion while providing expressive therapeutic modalities that encompass meaning-making, integration, creative exploration, and growth. She works with individuals one on one and facilitates grief circles/workshops.

“Kylee’s calmness and pacing is so powerful and gentle as she offers deep exploration. She provided a perfect balance of all the senses as she guided us through the process.  And her guided visualizations with amazing music and prompts were deep and nourishing.  The nature, art, and altar were transformational.  Kylee’s kindness comes through so clearly.  I also really appreciate how she shares of herself too.”

~ Nina Ostrovsky, Creative Writing Workshop Leader