Embracing Grief: Men

Embracing Grief – A Workshop for Men

With Bilal Nasim and Tony Pletts

~ Why Grief? ~

Grief Tending is a powerful way to work with the pain that we all carry. Our unique grief process is in response to a wide range of life experiences, involving loss of all kinds - individuals, relationships, ways of life, or health.. And yet, our sadness, rage, fear, hopelessness, relief, gratitude, betrayal, shame and numbness can often remain hidden from view and bubbling under the surface. Grief Tending offers a conscious space to explore and express our emotions without trying to fix or change them, and with the support of community and ritual allowing us to connect more deeply to life.  

~ Why a men’s group? ~

Men have never been under more pressure or subject to more scrutiny. Whilst the women and non-binary movements have been broadly cohesive, found a powerful voice and facilitated much needed change, those identifying as men have arguably become increasingly isolated from each other, separated from both their feelings and purpose. With little in the way of healthy archetypes, what does it mean to be a man in 2022? How is it even possible to feel pride or celebrate masculinity? Often raised in environments that allow no space for failure or vulnerability, men are frequently socialised to dominate. In such a patriarchal world grief is inevitably seen as a weakness, something to be suppressed, and not a natural and generative part of our humanity that offers opportunities for both connection and learning. With so much that needs to be explored and witnessed without shame, we are delighted to be offering our first grief tending event for those who identify as men.

~ OK, so what is this offering? ~

In addition to the monthly ‘Embracing Grief’ series, open to all, we provide sessions for specific groups of people, In this workshop we welcome all those that identify as men, co-facilitated by Bilal Nasim and Tony Pletts. .

The session is 4 hours on Zoom, and will include a variety of exercises to support our journey and a couple of short breaks. During the session we will hold a Grief Circle together. There will be the chance to express something, and to witness others.

~ Is this for me? ~

This is for you if you are working with personal changes, loss, heartache, dealing with the impact of past events, or pressures associated with being a man - masculinity, relationships, fatherhood, and all else. While the sources of our communal grief may hugely vary, we invite you to bring what is right for you and be both witnessed and held by the group. 

We also invite you to work at your own pace. Some might find our grief right there on the surface, ready to be expressed, while others may take the time to connect with grief that feels stuck and difficult to access. We invite you to bring your kind, respectful awareness to give space to the feelings, which may arise in a group designed for participants to be both seen and heard. 

The workshop is probably not suitable for those with severe depression or mental health problems, or those feeling particularly fragile, alone or unsupported. We're available to discuss this with you if you are unsure whether this workshop is right for you at the moment, so please don’t hesitate to contact Bilal (bilal@tough-cookie.co.uk) or Tony (welcome@loveandloss.co.uk).

Short Animations that show more:
https://www.loveandloss.co.uk/loss/grief-tending-animations-2/

Grief Tending FAQs: 
https://www.loveandloss.co.uk/loss/grief-tending-events/grief-tending-faqs/

ABOUT YOUR FACILITATORS

Bilal Nasim (www.bilalnasim.com) is a facilitator, trainer and artist exploring what it means to be alive and our relationship with death. Having apprenticed to grief under the tutelage of Sophy Banks and Jeremy Thres, he has been holding grief-spaces since 2018. Bilal hosts workshops on confronting death, Death Cafe's, is training as a death doula with Red Tent End Of Life Doulas, and is a personal resilience trainer with Tough Cookie (www.tough-cookie.co.uk).

Tony Pletts founded his art direction and construction company Einstein’s Octopus in 1987, a flexible business that's allowed him to pursue other creative paths. Tony’s made radio programmes for BBC Radio 4, has just finished his first book, Love To The Power Of Three and is working on a podcast, Can We Write About This – Men, Sex & Feelings. A rich and varied life has frequently exposed Tony to the teachings of grief and he started facilitating workshops with Sarah Pletts in 2019 (www.loveandloss.co.uk).

Embracing Grief Ethics Statement: 
https://www.loveandloss.co.uk/ethics-statement/

FEEDBACK 

"It was such a heart soothing and soul-enriching experience to participate in the space you created. I felt so utterly welcomed, free to bring whatever was alive in me, and never pressured to be anywhere I wasn't. I had moments of feeling a huge resistance in myself, and was allowed to dance with that and invite what was hiding underneath. The threads that you wove to create our container felt so gently, lovingly and intentionally woven, held with both sincerity and lightness." - Anon

“Thanks so much for creating a space of support and love. I felt safe at all times and the suggestions to move off screen or turn off the camera meant that I felt I wasn’t stuck to a box on screen. All the facilitators held space for each person and guided it when needed.” - Liselott

EVENT DETAILS
 
This event requires a free zoom account which you can set up here: https://zoom.us 
Instructions on how to join will be included in your confirmation email.  

TICKET PRICES: 

£15 Low Income (Only 3 places available at this price - please bear this in mind if considering this option)
£40 Regular
£60 Abundant/Supporter

Once you have purchased a ticket, you will receive a booking form which must be completed - NOTE: without a completed booking form you will not receive joining instructions for the session, including the Zoom link, and will therefore not be able to attend. 

There will be a maximum of 12 available places per session, including the facilitators. 3 of these places will be available at the Low Income rate, for those who are either unemployed, have insufficient/unstable income or are clearly unable to afford the Regular price. The Abundant/Supporter price part-subsidises those paying the Bursary price. 

We also welcome those willing and able to pay for someone else’s place at the Regular price. Please let us know if this is something you’d like to offer.

Note: We will start on time, please join the Zoom room a few minutes before start time. 

ZOOM ROOM OPENS: 10 minutes before start time.
NO ENTRY AFTER:  15 minutes after start time.

ENQUIRIES: Bilal - bilal@tough-cookie.co.uk, Sarah - welcome@loveandloss.co.uk

Attendance requires a working internet connection, and a Zoom account (you can download for free). If you have any access requirements please get in touch.  If you haven’t used Zoom before, please join 10 minutes early to download the free software and check your connection.

This workshop is fully inclusive to all individuals identifying as men regardless of age (18+), ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, religious beliefs and otherwise.

REFUNDS POLICY: Please note, we do not arrange refunds or exchanges. When possible we encourage reselling on Ticketswap.

ACCESS:  We do our best to include everyone in our events, regardless of health circumstances. If you have access requirements please email the event organiser directly to discuss. Many facilitators are able to offer reduced ticket prices for those truly unable to afford the ticket price. If this applies to you, do please get in touch with the event organiser.

For PSYCHEDELIC KNOWLEDGE AND RESOURCES please check out the Psychedelic Society website. 

Our facilitators have agreed to our code of conduct. Learn about our procedure for raising concerns

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