Grief changes the way you move through each day.

One moment you’re getting by —
and the next you’re stopped in your tracks by a memory, a song,
or the sight of an empty space where someone should be.

Ordinary routines feel heavier now:
making dinner, answering texts, trying to sleep.
Everything carries a different weight.

You push forward because life demands it, but inside, waves of sadness, guilt, or emptiness keep rising.

Your body feels it too —
the tightness in your chest,
the restless nights,
the exhaustion that doesn’t go away.

Even when you can’t find the words, grief is there, shaping your days in ways others often can’t see.

Grief Therapy in Racine, WI - Finding Your Way Through Loss

How Grief Shows Up

Grief isn’t just an emotion you carry in your heart — it makes itself known in your body, often in quiet and surprising ways. Some mornings it’s the heaviness that makes it hard to get out of bed. Other times it’s the tightness in your chest when you try to take a deep breath, or the way your stomach turns at the thought of eating.

You may notice your shoulders drawn up as if you’re bracing against the world, or an ache in your back that doesn’t seem to have a cause. Sleep can feel unpredictable — nights spent staring at the ceiling, waking too early, or dreaming so vividly that you wake up more tired than when you went to bed. Even small tasks like folding laundry, driving past a familiar place, or standing in the grocery aisle can bring a sudden rush of tears or leave you feeling drained.

Grief can feel like moving through fog, where even simple decisions take more energy than they used to. It can also show up as a numbness — a sense of being outside of yourself, going through the motions without truly feeling present. And underneath the physical weight of it all are the questions grief stirs: Why did this happen? Who am I now? How do I move forward with this absence in my life?

Grief doesn’t stay neatly in one place. It shifts between the mind, the body, and the spirit, touching every part of how you experience the world.

Everyone’s Journey with Grief is Different

Grief does not look the same for everyone — and it doesn’t always come from the same kind of loss. While some grieve the death of someone deeply loved, others grieve relationships that were complicated, estranged, or marked by hurt. Loss can also mean the end of a marriage, a friendship, a job, a dream, or even the version of life you thought you’d have. Each of these losses is real, and each can bring its own kind of grief.

Because of this, the emotions that come with grief are wide and varied. You might feel sadness one moment and anger the next. You may notice guilt about what was said or unsaid, or even relief that the struggle is over — emotions that can feel confusing or hard to admit. Some people experience numbness, as if they can’t feel much at all, while others feel flooded with feelings that come without warning. Grief doesn’t always “make sense,” and that doesn’t make it any less real.

The way grief shows up is never one-size-fits-all. Some people want to talk often, while others feel more protective of their silence. Some find comfort in community, while others feel safest in solitude.

There is no right or wrong way to grieve. Whether your grief feels tender, complicated, overwhelming, or uncertain, your experience is valid. However it shows up — even if it doesn’t feel like the version of grief you expected — it deserves to be acknowledged just as it is.

My Approach to Grief Therapy in Racine, WI

Grief is not something that needs to be rushed or “fixed.” It’s a process of learning how to carry what has been lost while still making space for life to unfold. My role is to walk alongside you as you navigate that process — not to tell you how it should look, but to honor the way it naturally unfolds for you.

I use a trauma-informed and body-based approach, because grief is not only felt in the mind — it’s carried in the body too. Together, we might notice where grief settles — the heaviness in your chest, the tightness in your shoulders, the exhaustion that lingers. By gently turning toward those sensations through somatic practices and Brainspotting, you can begin to release what’s been held inside and build more capacity to face difficult emotions.

I also draw from an existential lens. Grief often brings questions that don’t have easy answers: Who am I now? What gives life meaning after loss? How do I keep going when everything has changed? In therapy, we can hold space for these questions with curiosity and compassion, allowing you to explore what feels true for you.

Every person’s grief is different. Some need to speak their story out loud, others need moments of stillness. Some need to find ways of honoring what’s been lost; others need support in imagining a future they didn’t choose. My approach is flexible, gentle, and tailored to what feels safe and supportive for you.

Grief therapy with me is not about letting go of the person, the relationship, or the dream — it’s about finding a way to carry your loss while also making space for healing, meaning, and growth.

Somatic Grief Work Explained

Grief is not only an emotional experience — it’s something your body carries too. You may notice a lump in your throat that won’t go away, a heaviness in your chest, or an ache that feels hard to explain. For some, grief shows up as constant fatigue or restless sleep. For others, it brings a sense of being disconnected, like you’re going through the motions but not fully present in your body.

Somatic grief work is about paying attention to these signals with curiosity and care. Instead of pushing past them, we slow down and notice what your body is holding. This might mean gently tracking where tension sits, exploring the sensations that come up when you think about your loss, or noticing how your breath changes as you share your story.

So what does this actually look like? Sometimes it’s as simple as pausing to check in with your body in the middle of a conversation, or practicing grounding exercises to help you feel steadier when the waves of grief feel overwhelming. Other times, it may involve guided techniques like Brainspotting — a way of using eye position to help your body process emotions that feel “stuck.” You don’t need to force anything; the work unfolds at your pace, in ways that feel safe for you.

Somatic work helps because it allows grief to move, rather than stay locked inside. As you learn to listen to your body, you may notice more space to breathe, a softening of tightness you’ve been carrying, or a sense of relief that comes from releasing even a small piece of what feels so heavy. Over time, these practices can help you feel more grounded, more connected to yourself, and more able to carry both your loss and your life with greater balance.

Somatic Grief Work & Brainspotting

When you experience loss, your mind may try to make sense of it, but your body often holds onto the parts that feel unfinished or too overwhelming to process. That’s why you might feel “stuck” — as if your head knows what happened, but your heart and body are still carrying the shock, sorrow, or unanswered questions.

Brainspotting works by using eye position to access these deeper places where loss is stored. Instead of trying to think your way through the pain, Brainspotting gives your body and nervous system the space to process what words alone often can’t touch. It helps you connect directly with the emotions and memories tied to your loss and allows them to move at a pace that feels safe.

This approach pairs well with somatic work because it goes beyond simply noticing the heaviness or tension in your body — it creates a pathway for those sensations and emotions to shift. Many people describe it as finding a “doorway” into the part of their grief that has felt locked away. With time, Brainspotting can help soften the sharp edges of loss, ease the weight in the body, and bring a deeper sense of resolution and clarity.

Brainspotting doesn’t take your grief away. What it can do is free up the parts of you that feel stuck, making it easier to carry your loss with steadiness and to reconnect with your life in meaningful ways.

black woman breathing in somatic therapy office

Finding Meaning After Loss

Loss changes the landscape of your life. What once felt familiar may now feel foreign — routines, places, and even the future you imagined can look different. Grief often stirs questions without easy answers: Who am I now? What matters most? How do I keep going in a world that feels forever altered?

Finding meaning after loss does not mean explaining away the pain or forcing yourself to see silver linings. Meaning is not something handed to you — it is something that unfolds gently, over time, in ways that are uniquely yours. For some, it comes in small rituals of remembrance. For others, it emerges in new ways of showing up for themselves, for relationships, or for causes that now carry deeper weight. Sometimes, meaning is simply choosing to keep moving forward while carrying both the love and the ache.

This process can feel overwhelming to navigate alone. In therapy, I walk alongside you as we explore these themes together. We may sit with the hard questions, create space for stories and memories, or gently notice what your body is holding as you search for meaning. Sometimes that looks like slowing down enough to honor the weight of your loss; other times it means imagining how to take the next small step forward. I don’t bring you answers — instead, I hold space for what arises, and together we notice what feels true, steady, and possible.

There is no timetable for this. Some people reach for big questions right away; others need space just to breathe before curiosity can return. However it unfolds, meaning-making in grief is less about finding answers and more about creating space for what feels authentic to you now — even if that truth shifts with time.

Grief reshapes you, but it does not erase you. With compassion and patience, we can begin to weave together threads of pain and threads of hope, honoring what has been lost while allowing new meaning to slowly take root.

Grief Therapy in Racine, WI FAQs

  • Not at all. Grief can arise from many types of loss — including divorce, the end of a friendship, loss of health, infertility, changes in identity, or even the loss of a dream. All forms of grief are valid here.

  • There is no set timeline. Some people come for a few sessions to receive support during an especially difficult period, while others find ongoing therapy helpful as they continue to make sense of their loss. The pace is yours to set.

  • I combine a trauma-informed lens with somatic practices and an existential perspective. This means I honor both your body and your spirit in the grieving process, creating space not only for your emotions but also for the physical and deeper questions that come with loss.

  • No. Grief isn’t something to get over. The goal of therapy is to help you carry your grief in a way that feels more bearable, to create space for meaning, and to support you in living alongside your loss.

  • Grief has no single roadmap. Sadness, anger, guilt, numbness, relief — all of these are valid responses. Therapy helps normalize the full range of what you’re feeling so you don’t have to question or judge your experience.

  • You can find details about session fees and scheduling on my FAQ page: https://www.rootedcounselingwellness.com/faqs-therapy-in-racine.