125: Transforming Loss into Connection: A Conversation with Therapist Dr. Dawn DiRaimondo

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Welcome to Rock Your Shine: After you’ve been cracked wide open. On this show, I sit down with people from all over the world to hear their transformational stories on their deep grief and loss journeys.

In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Dawn DiRaimondo, a clinical psychologist who specializes in grief and loss after losing her brother Michael while he served in the army in Iraq.

Dr. Dawn shares her experiences navigating grief and loss, both personally and professionally. She discusses her book 'Surviving Sibling Loss, The Invisible Thread That Connects Us Through Life and Death,' published in 2020, and highlights fundamental themes of grief and loss, such as anger, grief's impact on relationships, and how to navigate the aftermath of a loss. The episode also covers the beneficial role of therapy, the concept of grief as a passenger in our life's journey, and the importance of integrating lost loved ones into our lives.

**TRIGGER WARNING** This episode covers sensitive subject matter and is not suitable for all listeners. If this topic could be a trigger for you, listen to this episode with a friend, a sibling, a loved one or a parent so you can talk about any emotions that come up for you. The contents of this episode are not intended to replace therapy and should not be taken as such. If you need immediate help, please call the crisis hotline listed below in our resources.

Listen in as we talk about:

0:00 Intro

3:13 About Dawn's brother

6:23 How this grief affected the role she played in the family

13:45 What it was like to deal with this while helping with other people with their own mental health issues

15:56 When she got into therapy

18:34 How to know if you need extra support

30:23 Does letting grief go mean loving your sibling any less

33:02 Importance of birthdays and anniversaries of death, and how to honor those dates

40:07 Providing her parents with support

45:23 What does self love mean to her

49:24 Faith is…