episode #108: grief, spirituality, and the myth of “everything happens for a reason”

Tune in to this conversation between me and Zach Leary, in which we discuss the nature of grief, and why your understanding of grief (and love) influences everything you try to do to help yourself or help others. Inside this 60 minutes, we touch on spiritual bypass – the use of seemingly “spiritual” ideas and sayings as a way to avoid being human, why telling someone to “look for the gift” inside their loss is a cruel thing to say, and how changing the way we come to pain in ourselves and in each other can transform the whole world. Everything doesn’t happen for a reason, and it’s time we start talking about that.

Here’s Zach’s introduction to our show:

The nature of grief and how it can turn your life upside down is one of the most charged and misunderstood subjects in Western culture. Grief, especially around death, has no rule book which is why most people encounter it unprepared when something tragic happens. Episode #108 of the podcast features Megan Devine the author of “It’s Ok That You’re Not Ok – Meeting Grief and Loss in a Culture that Doesn’t Understand.” Her expressive thoughtfulness and razor sharp opinions on the topic will leave you curious, softer and more accepting of how pain can and should work in ones life. Our conversation could have gone on for two hours – there are so many corners to explore. She is a fantastic soul. Enjoy.

Click here to listen to the podcast on Zach’s site, It’s All Happening.

And drop back by here to share your thoughts on this conversation. I’d love to hear from you.

If you’d like to have some company inside your grief, a place to tell the truth about love and loss and life, join us in the next session of the Writing Your Grief course. Community – the right community – can help you survive. Find all the details, and your registration link, at the Writing Your Grief page.