The Bereavement Journey Testimonials

Testimonials from Churches

“We are only 4 weeks into our latest course but we have a wonderful story of a man who has isolated himself for 10 years since his wife’s death. He said that it has unlocked something inside and helped him start again.”

“Your guest manuals are excellent and great value. The support network is wonderful.”

“Thank you for creating this course and making it so available, it is a fantastic resource.”

“We found the course to be really good; accessible, took people on a journey and gave them permission to grieve, slowly steering them onwards.”

Testimonials from Guests

“The course was a lovely experience”

“It has been a shoulder to cry on – very good”

“Gave me tools for grieving and for assessing things myself”

“Really helped me to face things and issues I was not facing”

“It’s great to have had time to think, to listen, reflect and share.”

“I can see the light now, the pain is not as bad”

“I feel very changed”

“Thank you so much for being so kind and brave enough to walk alongside us at the most difficult time in our lives. The course and everyone’s friendship has given us strength and hope for the future and made me realise that I shall hold onto the blessings of sharing lives rather than seeing only the loss.”

“Every one is very warm, friendly and welcoming. P is very helpful, a great listener and provide me with valuable and priceless advice that I can share too with other people. This course help me a lot to understand my emotions which is like a roller coaster and I am pleased to know I was not the only one to experience these different emotions throughout this course. A big thank you P for organising this course and for giving me the opportunity to attend.

“It was a safe place to journey with others who had understanding and empathy around loss and grief.”

“The last session was really important for me, the action of lighting the candle at the end and the portion which the leader read out was very helpful to me. I felt a deep peace after that.”

“To know that we are not going mad. We also felt assured that we are in a reasonably healthy place with our grief, although it is very difficult.”

“You created a safe environment to share the things that you don’t always feel you can say to those who don’t understand grief (the things that make you sound like a terrible person!)”

“I have learned that there is light at the end of this very dark tunnel and that with the help of God, family and friends I will get there and live a meaningful life”

“The content of the course addressed my feelings.  I found that I was able to confront the more difficult feelings of regret, guilt and anger and that I can get through the grieving process and move into a different kind of life”

“It was good to be able to express my feelings with people who understood because they were experiencing much the same.”

“The videos were brilliant but the group support was really what made our journey. The way the discussion was managed and the conversations we had were so helpful. It’s helped me understand and deal with a lot of my pain, hurt and confusion. It’s help me understand why I feel the way I feel. I’m so grateful for this course and the leaders who ran it, just brilliant. Thank you so much.”

“Love it! Have already recommended it so many of our friends. It would have cost hundreds of pounds in therapy to get where I am. The group support and the information in the videos was brilliant.”

“The leaders were great at leading the course and managing the group. Their experience and personal losses were vital in order for them to understand and respond to comments and observations made by the group. They were able to provide support and suggestions where necessary and were generally very friendly, helpful and professional. I would certainly recommend this group to anybody requiring bereavement support.”

A poem by one of The Bereavement Journey attendees, Chrissie Youngman:

The Bereavement Group

We come with love to weave a basket
With living love, our hopes and fears.
Our grasses, willow and bamboo
Tales of the loved ones that we knew,
Their hearts and souls together
Bonded with us through the years
Winding with one another
A balm to soothe our fears.

The warp and weft of kindly hearts
Strengthens the lonely left behind
As broken shards with unknown pain
We gather the will to live again.

The weavings hold us deep inside
A nest to rest, when feeling stressed.
Eccentricities confessed,
As tears leak through the basket
Softening the strands
Helping to bend the willow
Passing through our hands.

The basket woven week on week
Embroiders patterns no one knows,
It's strong enough to take the weight
Of feelings we don't mention,
Like passion, anger, guilt and hate.
We can grumble, laugh or moan
Knowing we are not alone.

And one day in the future
When we reach heaven above
Somewhere in the museum
Stands a basket full of love.