Frankie Bridge and Julia Samuel on Bereavement

On the Open Minds podcast, Frankie Bridge discusses her own experience with mental health, and she invites her guests to do the same with the aim to help a generation of people to be more open and honest about their mental health. In this episode of the Self-Care Sessions, Frankie talks with Author and Psychotherapist Julia Samuel about bereavement. Although this episode touches on various types of bereavement, there is a focus on suicide-related grief and its complexities.

Julia Samuel discusses the differences between general bereavement and suicide bereavement, and the questions and missing pieces that can be so hard to deal with when a loved one dies by suicide. Frankie and Julia discuss the importance of being proactive in seeking professional support after suicide loss, as the longer you wait, the harder it can be to come to terms with. Human connection is so vital when you are bereaved as it gives you the strength to continue and find joy in things - this is particularly the case when navigating suicide-related grief as this can feel more isolating. It is important to remember to have self-compassion and to allow yourself to learn to trust and love life again while grieving your loss.

This episode also covers themes of anticipatory grief, the importance of grief rituals and the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic on the grieving process. Grief and death are still taboo subjects and ignorance around the topic means that people often do not know how to support themselves through loss, or how to support others who are bereaved. When beginning your grief journey, the most important thing is connection and love from others, however people are often scared to say the wrong thing and therefore avoid these conversations all together; but saying something is always better than nothing.

We would definitely recommend listening to this episode of the Open Minds podcast as it is both educational and honest, providing insight into bereavement, and the dos and don'ts when trying to support someone through the grieving process.