Grieving is a natural process, which I never thought I would experience personally. Of course, I know that that was never true. Whether it involves the loss of a precious pet, a friend, a very dear loved one, or a close family member, if it hasn't happened to you yet, it will eventually.

Over the years I have experienced different forms of loss. One day I took one of our dogs to the vet to have a lump on his chest removed. Within hours I received a rather frantic call from my wife. Between her sobs she told me that our vet had just called. Samson's growth was actually the tip of a massive cancerous tumor. He was not expected to last long. While we were grateful that he was with us for a few more months, I will never forget the initial shock and having to cope with a reality for which I was not prepared. Loved ones will not be with us forever. Since then we have lost several pets; some suddenly passing, others suffering from lingering illnesses.

As bad as these experiences were, nothing quite prepared me for the knock that I received on the door during a hypnosis session last July. I was informed that my father, who had been quite ill for a number of years, had just been taken to a Houston trauma center. He had suffered massive bleeding inside his skull. He never regained consciousness and passed away late that night.

Moving through shock, coping with the changing emotions, being preoccupied with assisting a suffering loved one, dealing with final arrangements, and receiving seemingly endless condolences doesn't seem to give you time to let realities sink in. However, eventually they will. At that time having others who you can talk to is vital to navigating the process of grieving. Having a loving wife, an understanding son, and a great friend, who just happens to be a licensed professional counselor, greatly helped me when my father passed. Nevertheless, as I still occasionally have the urge to pick up the phone and share the events in my life with or to seek some wise advice from my father, I know that somehow the grieving process will still take sometime. I've been told that it often lasts several months or even a year or more.

When you are grieving, expect that your mind and body will go through a period of adjustment. Although I obviously have never gone through the experience of having morning sickness, I somehow equate the joyous event of preparing for childbirth as being somewhat similar to that of coping with a loss. In both cases, there is a period in which you must endure some rather deep changes. These often are expressed as sleeplessness, shortness of breath, a feeling of emptiness inside, and possibly even digestive symptoms and a poor appetite. If you or someone close to you is going through this, take solace in the realization that the process is natural. Don't resist it. Watch it with curiosity and let it pass. I teach my students that our minds and bodies are comprised of multiple intelligences. They need time to work out the changes. Trust that they will do so.