The Grief Haven Bootcamp in Gilbert, AZ

Helping people in Gilbert, AZ navigate grief and find healing through compassionate support and proven guidance.

Heal and Strengthen Your Emotional Wellbeing

The primary focus is on developing emotional metabolism, the ability to move through the physiological "weight" of loss without becoming stuck in chronic stagnation. Participants learn to identify and navigate the "Six Myths of Grief" (such as the pressure to "be strong" or "replace the loss") that often block the natural mourning process. A core skill taught is "Completion Work," which involves identifying and articulating the "unfinished business"—the unsaid apologies, forgiveness, or words of love—that keep a person tethered to the pain. By using structured communication tools, individuals learn to address the emotional "loose ends" of their relationship with the deceased, allowing the transition from acute, painful sorrow to a more peaceful state of remembrance. Individuals learn the integration of regular grief through somatic and narrative reconstruction. Participants learn metabolic regulation, a body-based skill that helps the physical heart and nervous system process the literal "heaviness" of bereavement, preventing the onset of complicated grief. They also practice meaning-making and narrative re-authoring, where the goal is not to "get over" the loss, but to learn how to carry it with dignity. Skills include identifying "secondary losses" (the loss of a shared future or identity) and developing a Continuing Bonds strategy, which allows for a healthy, evolving internal relationship with the deceased. By the end of the bootcamp, individuals are equipped with specific grounding techniques for milestones, anniversaries, and sudden waves of acute sorrow.

**Participants also learn the essential skill of differentiation between grief types, specifically mastering the tools needed for anticipatory and ambiguous loss. For those facing anticipatory loss, the curriculum focuses on "prehabilitation" of the nervous system, teaching individuals how to manage the chronic anxiety of a looming ending while remaining emotionally present. For ambiguous loss—where a loved one is physically present but psychologically absent (such as in dementia or addiction) —participants learn the vital skill of holding dialectics, or the ability to sit with two opposing truths simultaneously. This involves moving away from a search for "closure," which is often impossible in these cases, and instead developing "closure-free" resilience and the capacity to tolerate chronic uncertainty without emotional collapse.

Golden Hour Counseling offers bootcamps ranging from 3-8 hours depending on client's needs and availability on Mondays and Fridays. Bootcamps are billed at $150 per hour with the minimum bootcamp being 3 hours. Cancellations must be made 24 hours in advance to avoid a cancellation fee.

Bootcamps are offered Mondays and Fridays. Please email tanjaromney@goldencounselor.com or text 480-269-7504 to schedule a therapy bootcamp.