I am so grateful Beth joined me for a third podcast episode we recorded together about pet loss grief. In this episode we talk about euthanasia, anticipatory grief and spirituality.
Euthanasia = The root word of this means a good death. We talk about this in detail. When is the 'right' time. It is such a personal decision for you and your beloved pet. What is your personal risk tolerance for catastrophy? If your animal died naturally in their sleep tonight do you think it would be too soon? Quality of life scales.
Ambiguous grief & Anticipatory grief = Impacts us in so many ways. We talk about all of the emotions, thoughts, fear, self blame, judgements, changes and decisions that relate to this type of grief.
Spirituality - We talk briefly about my experience and my spiritual connection with my animals. We talk about the rainbow bridge. What is it and where did it come from.
We love our animals so much. When we lose them or face that possibility, it can be one of the hardest things we’ve ever gone through.
Beth Bigler was a writer and producer in Hollywood and was very happy in her career and in the middle of this her 11yo soul mate cat Arnie got a very bad prognosis - cancer. The anticipated and eventual loss of her Arnie, led her to seek out her own pet loss grief support, which profoundly aided her healing. It was lifesaving and transformative. In the middle of that process, Beth had the opportunity to help a stranger at the vet’s office who was faced with an unexpected euthanasia decision. She realised that she wanted to help others integrate loss into their lives and empower them on their grief journey. In this episode Beth shares her story as to why she left Hollywood and is now a double-certified Pet Loss Grief Counsellor, certified Pet Chaplain, and a certified end-of-life animal companion doula. Beth helps people from all around the world with grief counseling support before, during, or after the loss of their beloved animal companion.
If you would like to find out more about Beth or you would like to connect with her community you can find her on:
Instagram: @honoringouranimals
