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Making Room for Joy Amidst the Sorrow

By David McCallum

joy

sorrow emotions Grief healing human flourishing loss mental health self compassion

Posted: April 25, 2026

"Shared joy is a double joy; shared sorrow is half a sorrow" - Swedish proverb ("Delad glädje är dubbel glädje; delad sorg är halverad sorg") Sometimes, amidst the deluge of content on social media, I discover something that speaks to me on a deeper level and gives me pause. The above mentioned quote is one such example of this. Take a moment and see what comes up into your awareness as you consider it. Maybe it challenges your preconceived notions of joy and sorrow (e.g. That one must leave before the other can enter), or maybe the dynamic it describes feels familiar to your own experience. Whatever the case, I find that it points toward a more complicated fact of life: the two often co-exist.

A Reflective Journey into Grief: Entering the Healing Ground Workbook by Francis Weller

By David McCallum

grief

internal family systems interconnectedness loss mental health

Posted: March 30, 2026

Prior to engaging with Francis Weller’s Entering the Healing Ground: The Wild Edge of Sorrow Official Workbook I was well aware of an intellectual/rational part of my system. I’ve come to learn that this one attempts to logically explain what I am feeling to help me feel more in control. While this can be helpful, it does have its limitations, especially when it comes to navigating grief. In his work, Weller identifies the vital importance of tapping into our imaginations to help disrupt our rational processes. We cannot simply think our way through grief; rather, we must actively attend to it with a much deeper medicine. Weller identifies this medicine as compassion, which is offered from our Soul/Self. He notes that compassion can reach the places in our systems that have become contorted by grief.

Addressing the Holistic Impact of Grief

By David McCallum

grief

loss

Posted: November 24, 2025

Grief has a holistic impact on our wellbeing —it touches our emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and physical health. Grief is not a linear journey or a set of stages to complete. It’s an adaptive process that the mind and body move through while learning to live with loss. Understanding what’s happening inside you—and having tangible strategies to support yourself along the journey—can make this experience feel less overwhelming.

The Wilds of Grief

By David McCallum

grief

loss

Posted: August 27, 2024

Sometimes we may think we understand things. But that is the operative word: think. We can read all the books and articles and listen to podcasts and lectures and attend workshops and trainings, but it will still fall short of lived experience. This is the case with grief. Until you have actually experienced a loss, you likely will not fully understand the holistic impact that grief can have on one’s life.

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