Grief is the one of the most universal and painful experiences we human beings can go through. In my years as a grief therapist, it has been my honor to accompany people as they have made their way, bit by bit, through this most difficult of journeys. Although I did believe that open-heartedly walking with a bereaved person through their pain is very helpful (and I still do this), I longed for some way to help people short-circuit the worst of the terrible pain, as well as heal more deeply. When I learned about Repair & Reattachment Grief Therapy, I realized this was what I was looking for.
The Repair & Reattachment method cuts through the devastation that losing a loved one can wreak upon people's lives and heals grief at a much more fundamental level than traditional grief therapy. What makes it so powerful is that most people get the perception of a direct experience with the spirit of a loved one who has passed. Some people identify the experience as an actual encounter, and some as a mental event that their brain has conjured up. We cannot prove anything one way or the other, but regardless of the the interpretation, the healing effect is profound.
The process is not a "reading" with a medium, and it is not hypnosis. It is facilitated by a licensed, trained psychotherapist and is a normal, natural event incorporating auditory and visual bilateral stimulation. You are awake and alert throughout the process. The method was originally developed by Dr. Allan Botkin, who named it Induced After Death Communication, and it was a major breakthrough in the area of grief therapy. Rochelle Wright trained with Botkin, added to his process, and called it Repair & Reattachment Grief Therapy.
The majority of people who have a Repair & Reattachment session do experience the feeling or perception of connecting with their loved one. Even in cases where no sense of connection occurs, however, vast relief is still found from the debilitating effects of grief. The process usually results in a positive, uplifting experience, regardless of any other factor, including religious beliefs or lack thereof, or the length of time since the loved one has passed. It is, however, helpful to wait a bit after a recent death before having a session. In the interim, I recommend traditional grief therapy with a grief specialist who encourages you to maintain a connection with your loved one in some way, as opposed to 'letting go" of him or her. (See Grief)
A Repair & Reattachment process begins with your telling the whole story of your loved one, both the good and the not-so-good, and all the events leading to his or her passing. Then, through the bilateral stimulation, unresolved "baggage" between you and your loved one gets repaired, and distressing or traumatic memories around the death get resolved. A sense of connection usually follows, very naturally and normally. A session that begins with deep sadness and possibly guilt or anger typically ends with relief, laughter, and a sense of hope. When a person has the strong perception that their loved one is happy, still loves them, and is still with them, the searing pain diminishes, and the person can begin to rebuild their life.