Interview With Beth I. Robinson: Feeling Stuck In A Rut? Overwhelmed? Fatigued? You May Be Experiencing Grief And Here Is What You Can Do About It.

By Courtney Alex Aldor

When I first met Beth I. Robinson, I didn’t know I was grieving. Of course, all the necessary ingredients were there as 2020 brought so many changes to the lives we’d previously known. I felt strong, did not feel particularly sad, and thought enough time had passed that surely I should be used to the new way of doing things by now. But when a trusted mentor pointed me in the direction of Beth, a Coach and Advanced Grief Recovery Specialist in The Grief Recovery Method, I found myself crying my eyes out to her over the phone as she explained so many of the myths we, as a culture, hold about grief.

Grief is how we feel when we experience major shifts in familiar relationships and routines. It can feel like fatigue (even Zoom fatigue!), overwhelm, or simply not feeling able to show up or make choices as our best selves. It can feel lonely, hopeless, even confusing, as if you’re watching the world get on with things, while you’re on the outside looking in. It can bring any number of emotions that come with massive life changes, and can build up over time. It sometimes gets lumped in with depression, though they are absolutely not the same. It’s a common misconception that there are five stages to grieving and time does not necessarily lift the cloud of grief. What does? Acknowledging grief and then working with it, receiving support from a loving, nurturing, and educated coach like Beth Robinson.

Beth’s own journey began as a child when her mother gifted her a set of art supplies after her grandfather’s death. She made art to express the complex set of emotions associated with loss. Her creative path continued as she found herself working through the loss of five close family members within the span of five years. And while it helped as a tool of expression, and to connect her with others who were working with the same, it did not move her out of the space of grief. And so she sought other tools, the most effective being The Grief Recovery Method, which has been the go-to model for many, for more than 25 years.

Eventually, she went to law school and continued to display her artwork. She noticed she’d encounter many people experiencing grief, who would see her art and be able to talk about loss on an intellectual level, but were missing the tools for working through grief. At the same time, studying law, she encountered many who were stuck in the legal system as a result of grief and unable to make good choices for themselves. And so she became interested in training in the Grief Recovery Method; working both one-on-one with clients and teaching parents in the restorative justice field how to work with and offer tools to youth offenders. Over the years, she’s helped over 300 people recover their vitality and get back on track in their lives. 

In the wake of so many shifts in 2020, I asked Beth what are some of the biggest myths about grief. "There are many, but perhaps the worst is thinking we have to hide our grief and go through it alone." In the Grief Recovery Method, whose handbook <link> is an easy practical read with activities and tools, they suggest that talking to someone about our grief is an indispensable part of moving past grief. And after having tried this, I couldn’t agree more.

From Beth, I learned so much about the healing power of unconditional love, supportive listening, and the wisdom that experience brings. I witnessed how effective good tools, such as the Grief Recovery Method, can be. I learned that we don’t have to be strong, but instead can become resilient through expressing our vulnerabilities and knowing we will be heard and loved no matter what. I learned that what can keep us stuck in grief is not even the grief event itself, but the fact that many of us were not given the tools to feel or work with this often misunderstood emotion. And I learned that it is so worth it - even if you didn’t think you were grieving in the first place - to get to the other side of grief.

To learn more about Beth I. Robinson, visit her website at www.robinpress.com and to learn more about The Grief Recovery Method and it’s network of specialists worldwide, visit www.TheGriefRecoveryMethod.com.