Join us for a day of healing and renewal as we navigate through the journey of grief together. 🦋
Journey Through Grief: A Day of Healing and Renewal
Date: May 25, 2025
Time: 9:00 AM - 4:30 PM
Location: Bethlehem Centre , Shepherd Hall
Before May 10: $175 (Early Bird rate)
A fter May 10: $188
Includes Lunch and Snacks - gluten free and vegetarian options available
✨Journey Through Grief: A Day of Healing and Renewal ✨
"Grief has always been communal. It requires the presence of others to be fully expressed and released." — Francis Weller
Grief is not meant to be carried alone. Whether you are navigating personal loss, ancestral wounds, or unexpressed sorrow, this full-day immersive experience offers a sacred space to honor your grief, be witnessed in community, and embrace the healing power of shared presence and compassionate connection.
Join us for a transformative day of deep emotional processing, renewal, and connection, inspired by Francis Weller’s Five Gates of Grief: everything we love we will lose, the parts of us that have not known love, the sorrows of the world, what we expected and did not receive, and ancestral grief. Through sound, movement, song, expressive arts, writing, and healing rituals , you will be gently supported in releasing what no longer serves you and making space for healing and renewal.
Transform sorrow into connection, resilience, and renewal . Grief is not a burden—it is a doorway to deeper love and connection. Come as you are. Leave feeling lighter, supported, and deeply seen.
✨ Space is limited—book now! ✨
**AFTER YOUR TICKET HAS BEEN PURCHASED, A REGISTRATION FORM AND AGENDA WILL BE EMAILED TO YOU. **
THE FIVE GATE OF GRIEF - an overview
The Five Gates of Grief is a framework developed by Francis Weller, a psychotherapist and author known for his work on grief, ritual, and soul-centered healing. These "gates" lead to the communal hall of grief, and each helps us to understand the many ways that loss touches our hearts and souls in this life. Weller emphasizes that grief is not something to "get over" but something to be embraced as an essential part of our humanity. He encourages communal grieving, ritual, and creative expression as ways to honour and integrate our losses.
THE FIRST GATE: EVERYTHING WE LOVE, WE WILL LOSE
"To love is to accept the rites of grief."
THE SECOND GATE: THE PLACES THAT HAVE NOT KNOWN LOVE
“There is another entrance to grief, a second gateway, different from the gate connected to losing someone or something that we love. These are the places within us that have been wrapped in shame and banished to the farthest shores of our lives.”
THE THIRD GATE: THE SORROWS OF THE WORLD
“The third gate of grief opens when we register the losses of the world around us. Much of the grief we carry is not personal, but shared, communal.”
THE FOURTH GATE: WHAT WE EXPECTED AND DID NOT RECEIVE
“There is another gate to grief, one difficult to identify, yet it is very present in each of our lives. This threshold into sorrow calls forward the things that we may not even realize we have lost.”
THE FIFTH GATE: ANCESTRAL GRIEF
“This is the grief we carry in our bodies from sorrows experienced by our ancestors.”
WHAT IS PROVIDED:
-Tables & chairs
-Basic art supplies
-Lunch and snacks
WHAT TO BRING:
-Water bottle
-Yoga mat, blanket, pillow
-Journal and pen(s) and/or pencils
-Comfortable clothes and shoes for indoors & outdoors
-Anything else of comfort for you
-Umbrella (weather depending)
**AFTER YOUR TICKET HAS BEEN PURCHASED, A REGISTRATION FORM AND AGENDA WILL BE EMAILED TO YOU. **
MEET YOUR FACILITATORS:
✨Chrissandra Unger , ALCM, MA, RTC is a Nanaimo-based Expressive Arts Therapist, Registered Counsellor, and Jungian-inspired Psychotherapist dedicated to supporting young adults and women through life transitions. A professional artist who has exhibited her work in galleries across Canada and internationally, as well as a musician with professional performance experience, she deeply believes in the power of creativity for healing. Through her own personal challenges and life transitions, Chrissandra was led to this therapeutic work, embracing the gift she has been given to support others on their journeys. A skilled and experienced facilitator, she integrates visual arts, music, movement, and sound healing into her practice, offering both individual and group sessions. A Certified Biofield Tuning Practitioner and Sound Healing Therapist, she fosters deep listening, self-discovery, and community connection, guiding clients toward healing and growth.
✨Linda Sutton , MA, RCC is a Nanaimo-based Registered Clinical Counsellor. With over 25 years of experience, she specializes in supporting individuals navigating trauma, grief, anxiety, depression, and addiction. Drawing from her own journey of healing and transformation, Linda empowers clients to cultivate self-worth, self-love, and authentic connection. She believes in every person’s innate capacity for healing and growth. Her approach integrates self-compassion, body-oriented work, parts work, guided imagery, and self-awareness. She also facilitates The Women’s Healing Circle, a process-oriented group where women come together to share stories, healing rituals, poetry, song, and meditation. Linda believes that collective healing fosters empowerment, creating a ripple effect of transformation.
✨Chrissandra Unger & Linda Sutton are skilled facilitators, therapists and space holders who bring deep compassion and wisdom to their work.
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