Some grief is visible.
Some grief is not.

The grief that comes with death is easy to recognize. It often comes with a funeral and some ritual, an acknowledgment of the loss, and permission to mourn.

Grief also lives in the unspoken and unnamed. The loss of what we needed and never received, the loss of   dreams and hopes, broken relationships and disconnections,  the longing to belong. The parts of yourself that never knew safety, never held, seen, or heard. The rejected hidden parts that hold shame, guilt, worthlessness.

All grief matters.

Does this sound familiar?

You’ve been told to move on.

To let it go.
To focus on the positive.
To be grateful for what you have.

So you keep going.

You take care of everyone else. You carry the weight quietly. You try harder.

You feel disconnected from your body, your purpose, your relationships, yourself.

Beneath it all lives a deeper longing ~ To feel safe. To belong. To be seen. To be supported. To be understood.

what grief really is​

You are not broken.
You are not defective, or doing life wrong.

You are carrying the weight of grief.

The unnamed grief that has yet to be witnessed, honored, and integrated.

Markus spiske ls2rTqdQcoA unsplash

“Midwife” means to be with

Online Etymology Dictionary

Does this sound familiar?

You’ve been told to move on.

To let it go.
To focus on the positive.
To be grateful for what you have.

So you keep going.

You take care of everyone else. You carry the weight quietly. You try harder.

You feel disconnected from your body, your purpose, your relationships, yourself.

Beneath it all lives a deeper longing ~ To feel safe. To belong. To be seen. To be supported. To be understood.

what grief really is​

You are not broken.
You are not defective, or doing life wrong.

You are carrying the weight of grief.

The unnamed grief that has yet to be witnessed, honored, and integrated.

Markus spiske ls2rTqdQcoA unsplash

“Midwife” means to be with

Online Etymology Dictionary

Rachel Natvig

Meet Rachel Natvig

counseling psychologist and The Grief Midwife

Years ago, during my own dark night, I searched for someone who could accompany me through grief the way a midwife accompanies a birth.

I longed for someone who understood that grief is not a disorder to diagnose or a problem to solve, but a natural and universal human experience.

I longed for...

Over time, I came to understand that what I was looking for did not yet exist in the way I needed it.

So I became what I was searching for.

Today, I have the privilege of accompanying others through the tender terrain of grief—offering witness, compassion, and guidance.

As The Grief Midwife, I am the “woman who is with.”

I honor that

grief moves in its own time

The journey to healing begins one heart at a time, in the space of individual sessions where grief can be gently explored and witnessed. From there, you can choose to move into community, through an ongoing circle and/or an immersive retreat.

Each path is right in its own time.
Grief knows its own pace.
My role is to meet you where you are.

Begin with a conversation

However you come to this work, we start here. A private space where grief can be named, acknowledged, and welcomed. A first meeting, simply to listen, and to create a map for our work together.

Grief was never meant to be carried alone in silence.

The Shared Humanity Circle

An ongoing community where grief is met and held, week to week. A safe place to land and be seen without having to explain and to discover how much of our sorrow is shared.
The Grief Midwife Retreat
A transformative immersive experience of grief tending, ritual, witness, and community. Honoring both the visible and invisible losses that shape our lives

The Grief Midwife Retreat

A transformative immersive experience of grief tending, ritual, witness, and community. Honoring both the visible and invisible losses that shape our lives

there’s no need to feel ready or rush

No need to explain or justify what you carry.

When the moment is right, we begin with a conversation.

A brief exchange to hear where you are and see what feels right. Nothing to prepare, nothing to do..