Landscape of Loss | Resilience as a Choice with Dr. Barbara Hopkinson

Being resilient in the face of unimaginable loss and choosing to heal and carry on is an unimaginably difficult task. Today’s guest has suffered incredible loss but she made the remarkable choice to take those hardships in her stride and create a platform to help other people through their grief. Tuning in, you’ll hear all about Barbara’s life, the loss of her infant son and 21-year-old son, and how she found purpose in creating support groups, as well as learn about her books, how she started to see her son’s life as a gift not just a loss, and so much more! We discuss some of the signs that your lost loved one is visiting you and Barbara tells us about the incredible signs she’s experienced before we delve into the importance of talking about your grief. Finally, Barbara tells us why she believes that healing is a choice and walks us through some of the first steps of resilience. As always, please listen with care and take note of the trigger warnings in the key points for this episode.

Key Points from This Episode:

Welcoming Dr. Barbara Hopkinson with a brief overview of her background.
TW: For listeners who wish to skip Barbara’s account of the horrific loss she has suffered, please skip the audio between [00:01:55] and [00:04:36].
TW: For listeners who wish to skip Barbara’s account of attempted suicide, please skip the audio between [00:08:18] and [00:09:01].
How starting The Compassionate Friends and A Butterfly’s Journey gave Barbara purpose.
When she knew that helping others would help her heal.
Why she views her son’s life as a gift, not just a loss.
Signs that your lost loved one is around you and why you need to remember them.
Insight into A Butterfly’s Journey, Faces of Resilience, and Barbara’s grief methodology.
Why it is healing to talk about your loss and connect with others who have experienced loss.
What it looks like to choose to heal and take the first steps of resilience.
An overview of Barbara's experience with mediums.