In a special episode of On the Marie Curie Couch focusing on national grief, bereavement expert Jason Davidson meets Julia Samuel MBE.
This month, Jason is joined by psychotherapist, author and speaker Julia Samuel MBE. Julia has been working in the field of grief counselling for more than 30 years. Her books include Grief Works, Every Family Has a Story and This Too Shall Pass. In 2016, she was awarded her MBE in recognition of her services to bereaved children.
A collective grief
"I think all of us in some way had a relationship with the Queen. People were grieving that continual relationship with someone. She was this steady, reliable, predictable icon in our life when so much is unpredictable... I think what [her death] opened up in many of us was our collective grief through the pandemic, the millions of losses, of our mothers, or our grandmothers, or our partners, and it put us in touch with our own feelings."
Be kind to yourself
"One of the cruelties of grief is that we can turn our pain against ourselves. Be self-compassionate, be as kind to yourself on those hard days as you would to a friend, turn to yourself with love and compassion. And choose to do things that soothe you. That may be going for a walk, it may be lighting a candle for the person that's died and talking to them, it may be ringing up a friend, or buying flowers and putting them on your kitchen table."
Listen now
Tap the link near the top of this page to listen to Jason's chat with Julia. Alternatively, listen to or download it via Acast, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts. If you'd prefer, you can read a full transcript of the episode.
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