Many high achievers think their stress, burnout, or anxiety are just “part of the grind.” But what if those symptoms are actually signs of something deeper unresolved grief that’s never been named or processed? Today’s guest, Dr. Michele Mariscal, has spent 30 years in health and wellness helping people move from emotional chaos to clarity using HeartMath and the Grief Recovery Method, two evidence-based modalities that connect the heart and brain so you can finally process what’s been weighing you down. Michele reframes grief far beyond death or divorce. She explains how over 40 types of loss including career changes, natural disasters, broken trust, kids leaving for college, or growing up in a constantly moving military family, can quietly erode your sense of safety and show up as anxiety, overwhelm, or feeling “not yourself.” She shares her own story of living in a Florida community devastated by hurricanes and how unprocessed trauma left her feeling unsafe even doing ordinary tasks like driving, until she learned how to calm her “trauma body” and regulate her nervous system.
Michele breaks down common myths about grief like “time heals all wounds,” “stay busy,” or “just move on” and shows how these patterns can actually deepen emotional pain, drive addictive coping behaviors, and even get stored in the body. Through the Grief Recovery Method, she outlines a step-by-step, 7–8 week psychoeducational process that normalizes grief, teaches you to recognize hidden losses, and gives you a repeatable template to complete your relationship with the pain of the loss without “letting go” of the person or memory you cherish. You’ll hear how Michele’s clients, especially busy professionals and healthcare workers have used HeartMath and grief recovery tools to return to work more grounded, rebuild strained relationships, and respond to emotional triggers without numbing out or exploding. If you’ve ever wondered why certain situations trigger outsized reactions, or why old memories still hijack your present-day decisions, this episode will help you connect the dots between past losses and current behavior.
https://youtu.be/torpJBgouec?si=UwmZgagCYLwy2CT3
If you suspect you might be carrying unresolved grief from earlier in life even if things look “fine” on the surface this conversation offers a compassionate, practical roadmap to becoming more self-aware, emotionally resilient, and truly at peace. You’ll learn how to recognize the clues of unresolved grief, debunk the myths holding you back, and take the first steps toward healing so you can move forward with clarity instead of quietly staying stuck in survival mode.
Quotes:
“We store these emotions in our body in different ways; you can be working on a knee and suddenly burst into tears because grief never really disappears; it settles in.”
“We talk about the physical loss of belongings, but what really settles into us are the intangible losses, like the loss of safety and loss of security.”
“Any time that we have a change in a routine or pattern or habit that creates a feeling of loss, there’s grief.”
Contact Details:
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The Road Less Traveled on Amazon
