#64 Laura Formentini on regenerative healing, grieving cycles and Love in Action
“Every time you are grieving, remind yourself that is an energy that is stuck because [you] are no longer able to give it to the person who was there in the physical. But love comes in many forms; if it’s no longer there in the physical, let’s move that love to wherever it’s needed, in healing. That’s love in action. It’s not just about talking about love, it’s putting love into action. ”
In what ways can creative catharsis metamorphose the energy of grief into love which expands beyond our kin and beyond the material? How can we seek inspiration and guidance from nature’s abilities to heal and regenerate in order to recapacitate ourselves as we move through grieving cycles and put love in action?
Today we are joined by Laura Formentini, an author, nonprofit photographer and activist who has worked all over the world with NGOs and resilient people, and who has personally healed from the traumatic loss of her son’s suicide which began from a small act of kindness and human responsibility by a complete stranger and has now evolved into the conceptualisation of getting “unstuck” from grieving cycles as Love in Action. In this episode, Laura and Agrita explore the different pathways of healthy cathartic expression within the context of maternal grief and how conceptualising the transformation of grief to love as Love in Action can help map out pathways to embodied healing which meet the specific needs of mothers (and others within grief cycles) but also regenerate their capacities to love, nurture and care.
What will be covered:
Poetic and photographic storytelling as creative catharsis
Grief as energy unable to transform into love for those who no longer exist in the physical
Laura’s story of maternal grief and losing her son
Maternal grief requiring a more sensitive and caring approach to healing
Human responsibility of caring and loving beyond our kin
Recognising and valuing the human capacity to move forward from grief as regenerative
Mapping out the different stages of grief through the Kübler-Ross model
Engaging in acts of kindness outside of your kin as a fundamental form of putting love in action
Acknowledging psychotherapy doesn’t work for everyone and moving beyond individualist therapy frameworks to community and relational work
Seeking inspiration from nature’s ability to regenerate and heal at the ecosystem/community level
Insight into Laura’s TwentyOne Olive Trees healing sanctuary for grieving mothers and the creative embodiment practices that will be on offer
