by Kelly Catalano, Master Energy Practitioner/Healer, Creator of Pet Grief Relief

Anyone who has had a pet transition can find it challenging to cope with the heart break, intense pain and emotional chaos. No matter what type of pet you owned, coping with the grief of losing it is an intensely personal process.

In order to understand how to process the grief, let’s briefly review the five stages of grief.

You may move through these stages very quickly or linger in each stage for a prolonged period of time.

Pet grief is very dynamic and often misunderstood. The pet owner can be shocked by the intensity and emotional turmoil associated with the death of a pet. When the brain experiences emotional trauma it takes just a few seconds for an emotional response to kick in and become associated with it. That is why when we recall the memory, we get an emotional response no matter how much time has passed. The more physical response tied to the memory, the harder it is to release it.

The longer we hold on to emotional anguish, the more we poke it, prod it, recall it and relive it, the more embedded the detrimental emotions become.

Our emotions become a tangled-up mess we are unable to process, let go of and hold us hostage in a time and place we no longer wish to be in.

They say time heals all wounds but in reality, in order to heal and recover we have to actually release the emotions tied to the memory from our body. There are a variety of ways to accomplish this. They are all safe, effective and work relatively fast.

As a master energy practitioner/ healer here are my favorite ways to help clients release pet grief.

• EFT tapping…Emotional Freedom Technique
• Distance Reiki
• Chakra Clearing
• TAT…Tapas Acupressure Technique
• Guided visualization to connect with pet heart to heart on the spiritual plane

These techniques work all the time. No need to believe to receive.

In the meantime, here are 10 coping methods I find work well to start on the path to healing and recovery.

• Take as much time as you need to grieve. Only you know what is best for you. Don’t let others dictate your feelings. Honor how you feel and the life of your pet in a way that celebrates your time together.
• Be open to how you experience grief. Trying to repress feelings causes more stress and anxiety than expressing them.
• Express your grief in a way that allows you to honor your pet’s life. Write a poem, a letter to your pet, create a memory book. Engage in a positive activity that will move you forward.
• Have a memorial service for your pet or create a memorial for your pet. Celebrate your pet’s life in a way that makes the most sense to you.
• Find your tribe. Connect with others who understand how you feel. There are many support groups on social media or locally to help you through this challenging time.
• Get involved. Help organize a pet food drive. Volunteer at an animal shelter. Offer your support to someone else.
• Write it out. Keep a journal. Journaling allows you to express and work through your feelings in a safe private nonjudgmental way.
• Get professional help if and when needed. Use a program like Pet Grief Relief to help process, find relief, heal and recover. While intense grief is normal and natural, experiencing prolonged grief, sadness, anger, and depression is a sign more help is needed as well as lead to physical illness.
• Ease into a new routine. Join a gym, take a class, engage your brain and time toward a new learning activity.
• Be easy on yourself. No matter how your pet transitioned, your pet loves you unconditionally and knows you always had their best interest at heart. Our pets are always with us on the spiritual plane looking after us. They are always available to connect through visualization or meditation from their new state of being.