Connelly's Rapid Grief Resolution: The Art of Transforming Traumatic Grief

By Melinda Paige, Ed.S, LMHC, NCC

Master Certified Practitioner, Rapid Resolution Therapy

 

Life experiences affect people, more specifically their minds, in both positive and negative ways. Sometimes the effect is momentary, but more often than not the effect continues even though the experience is no longer happening. While the majority of the human mind works well, a negative experience can affect a small facet of mind so that we think, feel or act in ways that are not in our best interest. Rapid Resolution Therapy clears this aspect of mind gently and painlessly. Negative emotions are replaced with energy and peace, and problematic behavioral patterns are eliminated. One such life experience is the death of a loved one. Rapid Resolution Therapy also specifically targets and eliminates the ongoing pain from traumatic grief.

 

The death of a loved one is painful for almost everyone. For some people, though, this normal grief reaction becomes much more functionally debilitating. While normal grief responses gradually decrease, those of "frozen" or traumatic grief may persist. The following list includes common symptoms of "frozen" grief: intense longing for the deceased, deep and prolonged sadness, guilt or remorse, numbness or detachment, bitterness and resentment, withdrawing from social activities and a sense of meaninglessness and/or alienation. An individual may also be unaware that they are experiencing traumatic grief and may report, instead, feeling numb, detached, bitter or resentful without consciously realizing the cause of these sensations.

 

According to Dr. Connelly, grief develops into complex or "frozen" grief for a variety of reasons such as the following: a belief that the death should have been prevented, unresolved anger or guilt involving the deceased, the death was shocking, sudden and/or unexpected, the death involved suicide or violence, the death was slow and painful creating multiple traumatic impressions, or the death of a child. Key skills underlying traumatic grief resolution suggested by Connelly include pinpointing and eliminating each factor contributing to the traumatic grief response, deepening and accelerating the process of natural adaptation and acclimation, and eliminating painful emotions without encouraging abreaction.

 

Traditional grief counseling is based on the belief that painful and sad feelings need to be experiencedeven more than they have been in order to finally be released. Psychotherapy done this way causes people to experience unnecessary pain and suffering. In contrast, Rapid Resolution Therapy clears traumatic grief by eliminating conflicts and other obstacles and impediments to acclimation quickly and painlessly. The process of natural adaptation is accelerated as there is a natural tendency among all life to adapt to environmental change.

 

For example, Dr. Connelly states that if bees travel to a certain field to find nectar and the field is destroyed, the bees naturally adapt by seeking alternative resources elsewhere. Similarly, if its light source is blocked, the tree will grow in another direction to reach the sunlight. Humans have the same life source within us inspiring us to move toward solution and reach for the light. Dr. Connelly's Rapid Grief Resolution identifies and accelerates the process of natural adaptation already underway within us. By engaging the subconscious mind and eliminating the ongoing influence from traumatic grief, blocked energy is released, healing takes place and desired change is automatic and lasting.