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A Death Doula's Perspective on Grief with Nikki Smith aka Nikki the Death Doula
Description
Grief isn't just something we experience when someone dies. It can show up during major life changes, the end of relationships, aging, and losses we may not even recognize as grief. Learning to acknowledge these experiences can help us better understand our emotions and find ways to move through them.
In this episode of Seeing Death Clearly, host Jill McClennen, a death doula and funeral celebrant, talks with Nikki Smith, also known as Nikki the Death Doula, a death doula and grief coach in Columbus, Ohio.
Together, they explore the many forms of grief, including pet loss, breakups, perimenopause, empty nesting, and changes in our bodies and identities. They discuss disenfranchised grief, losses that often go unrecognized or unsupported, and the lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, including missed milestones, disrupted funerals, and the experiences of healthcare workers.
Jill and Nikki also talk about anger as a natural part of grieving, why families sometimes struggle when someone they love is dying, and how the media can create unrealistic expectations about death and grief.
A meaningful part of their conversation focuses on the difference between accepting a loss and simply acknowledging that it is happening. They explore how recognizing the reality of a situation, even when we aren't ready to accept it, can be an important part of healing.
They also discuss the value of end-of-life planning, how preparing ahead can ease some of the burden on loved ones, and why we can't plan for or control everything that happens at the end of life.
00:00 Acknowledge Not Accept
00:16 Meet The Host
01:21 Introducing Nikki Smith
02:33 Grief Coaching Training
03:38 Grief Beyond Death
04:36 Perimenopause Body Changes
08:19 Aging And Identity Shifts
11:25 Disenfranchised Life Grief
12:45 COVID Assumptive World Loss
17:00 Anger In Grief
18:26 Move Anger Through Body
19:59 Family Conflict And Denial
22:04 Saying Death Out Loud
23:40 Denial and Euphemisms
25:10 Movies vs Real Dying
26:31 Funerals and Real Grief
27:49 Good Grief Podcast
30:16 Fears Dementia and ALS
31:28 Losing Mom Suddenly
34:00 Death Planning Limits
36:39 Talk It Through Family
39:16 Resources and Wrap Up
https://creators.spotify.com/pod/profile/nikkideathdoula/
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