Gretchen Kubacky, Psy.D. (Ask Dr. Gretchen)

09/12/2023

“You will lose someone you can’t live without,and your heart will be badly broken, and the bad news is that you never completely get over the loss of your beloved. But this is also the good news. They live forever in your broken heart that doesn’t seal back up. And you come through. It’s like having a broken leg that never heals perfectly—that still hurts when the weather gets cold, but you learn to dance with the limp.”
Anne Lamott

Lyda Borelli, 1910.

08/11/2023

07/01/2023

When most people think of grief, they think of deep sorrow over the death of a loved one.
But you might experience grief from the loss of a job or a home or from cumulative losses like the loss of health through chronic illness or the loss of your time and youth.
Sometimes, we grieve our hopes or fantasies—a friendship that never developed, a romance that never went past the third date, or a project that never came to fruition.
Loss comes in many forms, impacting all of us to one degree or another.
What are some ways that have helped you cope with grief in your life?

06/29/2023

Identifying your values is important to getting through your grief and working with your grief because if you don't have some guideposts, you're just going to be flailing around.
To hear more, watch the full-length video here:
https://youtu.be/qa_0zLlapiM
To purchase or review "Moving Through Grief: Proven Techniques for Finding Your Way After Any Loss" now, check it out here: https://amzn.to/33Y5CRl

06/27/2023

Whether acute or prolonged, both chronic and terminal illnesses can result in innumerable losses.
You lose not only your health, but also your sense of safety, peace, and happiness.
In a way, you lose the ability to relax—to not think about your body.
You may lose friends who can't handle your illness or face your death.
You may lose your financial security or your ability to live independently.
You may lose toes to amputation, hair to chemotherapy, or breasts to surgery.
A serious mental health diagnosis may leave you feeling like you've "lost your mind."

06/24/2023

Come to terms with your pain...
Acceptance of what cannot be changed is a powerful way to move through it.
We all experience loss at some point. This book lights a path through the pain.
In this book, you'll learn effective ways of coping—ways that can help you move through grief.
You'll learn how to stay present in the moment, how to show up in relationships, and how to move toward making your dreams come true.
To learn more and order your copy, go here: https://amzn.to/33Y5CRl

06/22/2023

Disability or loss of ability can be visible or invisible, physical or psychological.
Chronic illness can be depleting, leaving you with little energy or interest to engage with friends.
Anxiety may make you scared to leave the house, particularly if you have balance and stability problems or need to take medication before you eat.
We're going to start by reconnecting you with your personal goals and values—the things that you were committed to before your loss.
Once you have an idea of what you want, you can begin focusing on the people and activities that bring you happiness.
Eventually, these "joy points" diminish the pain.

06/20/2023

"Moving Through Grief" is a book featuring proven techniques for finding your way after any loss.
It's a book that is based on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, which is called ACT for short.
In this video we will be focusing on defining your values as you move through your grief.
https://youtu.be/qa_0zLlapiM

To learn more about my coaching and counseling services, please visit www.drgretchenkubacky.com.To purchase the book "Moving Through Grief: Proven Techniques...

06/17/2023

Values are the guiding principles in your life and tend to fall into sort of broad domains, such as health, spirituality, family life, professional accomplishment, education, creative achievement, and so on and so forth.
In the book, "Moving Through Grief," what we do is walk you through some exercises where you are guided through the process of examining the things that you've held as values in your life previously.
Then, looking after the loss, whatever your loss may have been, or is currently feeling like.
Click the link below to connect directly with Dr. Gretchen Kubacky:
www.drgretchenkubacky.com/contact/

06/15/2023

So, diffusion is a fancy term for watching your thinking. What that means is that you step back a little bit from what you're thinking.
Inside your head is probably a jumbled mess right now. If you're dealing with grieving.....you've been feeling overwhelmed,..you've been confused,..you've been incredibly sad, and ..perhaps hopeless and struggling to take action.
You don't know which way is up and you don't want to do anything and that's not working.
Diffusion is simply stepping back and looking at things from the outside, which is to say, you stop believing that all of your thoughts are true.
To hear more, watch the full-length video here:
https://youtu.be/g1nI5H7ywQ0
To purchase or review "Moving Through Grief: Proven Techniques for Finding Your Way After Any Loss" now, check it out here: https://amzn.to/33Y5CRl

06/13/2023

When most people think of grief, they think of deep sorrow over the death of a loved one.
But you might experience grief from the loss of a job or a home or from cumulative losses like the loss of health through chronic illness or the loss of your time and youth.
Sometimes, we grieve our hopes or fantasies—a friendship that never developed, a romance that never went past the third date, or a project that never came to fruition.
Loss comes in many forms, impacting all of us to one degree or another.
What are some ways that have helped you cope with grief in your life?

06/10/2023

Diffusion is stepping back and looking at things from the outside, which is to say:
You stop believing that all of your thoughts are true.
You stop accepting everything everyone else tells you as true.
You start thinking for yourself in many ways and thinking according to what your values, your goals, and your beliefs are.
When you step back, what happens that's really cool is that it takes some of the emotional charge out of those intense feelings of sadness and grief.
It's a very valuable tool for practically anything.
To purchase or review "Moving Through Grief:
Proven Techniques for Finding Your Way After Any Loss" now, check it out here: https://amzn.to/33Y5CRl