Grief Circle

We all experience loss and grief but are rarely encouraged to explore it. There is still a taboo around addressing such deep feelings. Yet we live in a time when there is so much to grieve.  

You might be mourning a death, the end of a relationship, or job. Your children might be leaving home, or you might be unable to have children. You might feel despair at the state of the world or have anticipatory grief for a loved one with a terminal illness. Whatever your feelings around whatever you’re grieving, a grief circle offers time and space for mutual support and sharing, to feel heard without anyone trying to shut you down, ’solve’ you or allowing their own uncomfortableness and fear to shame you into silence. 

Our society has lost touch with the sense of community that grief can engender, and the rituals that can help us explore and express. No one knows what normal grieving looks like anymore.  

Sharing circles offer mutual witnessing and a chance to be heard. This is NOT therapy; it is a space where feelings can be aired in a supportive community. However, it IS facilitated by a qualified psychotherapist. Sasha Bates (MA, UKCP) has written two books about grief, teaches therapists about how to work with grief, and is herself a griever, having lost her husband very suddenly. She is an empathic listener and a compelling speaker, and with these sharing circles she creates a safe container and a format in which grief and loss are welcome, and safe, subjects to explore. 

A sharing circle lasts 90 minutes. No preparation is necessary, just a willingness to listen and, if it feels right, to share. 

We apologise for the inconvenience but our bookshop is currently not wheelchair accessible. 

The toilets are located on the ground floor. 

The event space/bookroom café is located at the top of a staircase (17 steps).

Please do get in touch if you’d like to know more details to plan your visit ahead. 

Email is: salomee@kemptownbookshop.co.uk