Klára Brázdová and Oleg: Is grief chaos? Or is it wandering through a forest? And is a funeral a dialogue?

Klára Brázdová and Oleg Vojtíšek recording a podcast on a green roof above Prague

The deafening silence after someone passes away.

And we don't mean suddenly finding yourself home alone. We mean the silence that creeps in gradually: when, after the death of a loved one, you receive countless messages, so much attention, questions, and love... and then it suddenly fades away.

Suddenly, those around you decide it is time to move on. But you are not there yet.

As a psychotherapist, Klára Brázdová frequently works with the bereaved, and both our work and hers have a lot in common!

As a funeral service, we often weigh how much we should do for our clients: as a service provider, we want to deliver as much as possible. However, grief is a very specific matter. People need to be guided so they can step into their grief themselves - such as by helping prepare the funeral. Therapy works in a very similar way.

Klára says she appreciates that we maintain a dialogue with the bereaved. A dialogue about what they want and how they want it. What is actually possible. A dialogue about the deceased, what they would have wished for, and what the family desires. People are often afraid to talk to them about this. Grieving people are fully competent, and we should not treat them like children.

Why is it not a good idea to follow "expert" stages of grief?

How are grief and wandering through a forest similar?

And why is it nice to take a trip to Nepal after a funeral?

In our podcast, Oleg discussed grief with psychotherapist Klára Brázdová, and if this relates to you, you will definitely want to listen!