From Grief to Healing: Sara’s Touching Journey of Loss, Reiki, and Hypnotherapy
Sara Hafer is a remarkable woman whose life journey has been shaped by the most profound of experiences – the loss of her beloved son. This deeply personal and intimate story of resilience, transformation, and healing is a testament to the human spirit's incredible capacity for growth and self-discovery. Sara's path was forever altered by tragedy, but she found a way to channel her grief into a powerful force for good and for others. Through the practices of Reiki and Hypnotherapy, she not only pieced her own life back together but also extended her hand to help others find their own paths toward healing and self-empowerment. Join us as we delve into Sara's inspiring story, a journey from sorrow to purpose, and discover how her loss became a catalyst for a brighter, more hopeful future.
In Sara’s words:
Some of you know my story. For those of you who don’t, I should warn you… What I’m about to share may be emotionally challenging, especially for those who are survivors of suicide, or are in active grief.
Six years, six months & 13 days ago, my 13-year-old son, Kaden, took his own life. You don’t have to be a mother to know what a devastatingly traumatic & soul-crushing experience that was. Part of me died with my boy that day & I am not the same person I was six years, six months & 14 days ago. I’ve dealt with crippling depression & anxiety. I have been stuck in never-ending PTSD loops of the events leading up to his death & the brutality of trying to resuscitate him, replaying in my mind over & over again. Combine that with the constant self-hating thoughts of how horribly I had failed at the most important job I could ever possibly have, motherhood... I spent days & weeks not being able to get out of my bed. Let alone eat, take a shower, or even take the herbs & medications that were supposed to help me. I convinced myself that I didn’t deserve to heal from this. That as much as my baby had suffered, I had no business feeling anything but the shame, guilt, & sorrow I felt I had earned. I quit my job of 14 years, that I loved & identified with. One where I was loved, respected & supported; & chose a new one with part-time hours & zero responsibility, where I felt no guilt for all the times I called in sick to wallow in my pain & grief. Friends were concerned about me, & I lost a few along the way. I couldn’t pay attention to anything going on in anyone else’s life, because I was falling apart at the seams, barely holding myself together, if at all. Some of them tried to help but didn’t know how, or I couldn’t accept it, & they couldn’t understand. Some gave up on asking me to do anything because I always bailed at the last minute. & for some, it was just too hard to watch me spiral… I didn’t venture away from home much, if at all. Anxiety consumed me. I heard my baby boy’s voice in every “Mommy”, everywhere. I saw his precious freckled face in every little boy with glasses I came across. Everything my senses observed somehow always brought me back to Kado, & he was gone. I was never going to hear his laugh again. Never again would I feel him snuggle up to me in the middle of the night. I was never going to see my boy grow up. I didn’t even know who I was if I wasn’t Kaden’s Mom.
This went on for years… During that time, I had changed jobs a few times & not all of them were as forgiving of my time off needs. When I went to my doctor for help, I was given prescriptions for Xanax, Valium, Gabapentin, & multiple other beta blockers, anti-depressants & anxiolytic drugs. All of them had terrible side effects. Weight gain, loss of appetite, insomnia, drowsiness, or loss of sex-drive, & a lot of the time, I was just numb. Numb to everything. Everyone kept telling me I needed to talk to someone, so I tried a couple different counselors. I hated going though, I always came out feeling like absolute garbage. I hated telling them that my week was shit, & then having to re-live all my trauma by analyzing the PTSD loops I’d been stuck in. After a few days, I would finally start to recover from the session, only to realize I had another one in a day or two & then I’d get sucked into a funk of anxiety over that. I wasn’t functioning at all, & I was losing myself. I tried so hard to stay in a grateful state of mind. Afterall, there were plenty of women out there, some I knew, who never had the experience of carrying their own child. Who never felt the maternal bond in nursing your newborn. But I just couldn’t ever escape the finality of Kaden’s passing for very long. I would have welcomed death & thought of joining Kaden on the other side on more than one occasion.
Today, I am proud to say, I don’t suffer from PTSD, depression, or anxiety. I haven’t had a day that I couldn’t get out of bed for almost two years now. I still have moments where feelings become overwhelming, but I am healed enough to recognize them; & instead of being triggered, I lean into them. I feel them fully, & then I let them go. I am able to maintain that feeling of gratitude for the 13 beautiful years I had with my son. I can be present in the moment now, to keep myself from focusing on the guilt of my past & the despair over my “stolen” future. Some say it’s time that heals all wounds, but I say that’s bullshit! Who knows where I would be if I had left it up to time… What worked for me had nothing to do with western medicine either, or anything outside of myself for that matter. What worked for me was turning inward. It was finding the path to self-healing & I found it through Reiki, Hypnotherapy & meditation. Reiki gave me a gentle but powerful release of all the “yuck” I had accumulated. It allowed me to be free from all the emotions that consumed me. Hypnotherapy allowed me to connect with my subconscious & heal the parts of me that I didn’t understand were broken. Meditation has taught me to be present, & to stop judging myself, but observe lovingly instead. These modalities allowed me grace, & patience & offered me perspective, & self-love.
My healing journey is ongoing, but I’ve shifted from a lost & broken soul into a light shining for those stuck in the darkness. I understand how important it is for me to share with others, just how gutted & shattered I was, so they can see exactly what a person is capable of overcoming when given the proper tools. My passion is mental health & well-being, & I now provide Reiki, Hypno-Reiki & meditation mentorship at MBody Massage + Meditation. If you feel like you’re at the end of your rope, like you’ve tried everything, but you are beyond help or healing, please come see me! From rock bottom to breakthrough, I love showing people there is still hope, it just looks a little different than you thought it would. I would be honored to provide those tools & guide you through your self-healing journey.
I am looking for 8-10 people struggling with grief who are either currently or within the last 6 weeks: isolating themselves, self-medicating, struggling to eat, sleep or get out of bed, stuck in anger or guilt, feeling crushed by loneliness, missing work, or avoiding holidays, anniversaries and/or birthdays.
Why???
I am doing a case study on healing grief this November & December, offering a comprehensive treatment package using a blend of Reiki, Hypnotherapy & meditation with the hope of easing the suffering of those in active grief experience over the holidays.
My goal is to fine tune my gentle therapies, collect statistics & get feedback on your experience, so that I may deliver the best alternative healthcare, navigational tools & support possible!
For those who are interested & able, I am offering a generous discount on a package of 4 services in exchange for your participation & feedback.
Here’s what you get:
75 minute consultation w/ a full Reiki treatment
75 minute Hypno-Reiki treatment
60 minute group Hypno-Reiki session
Customized meditation plan
This package is valued at $320; I’ll soon be offering it to the public at an introductory price of $265. Those who participate in my case study offer will pay only $199!
Qualifications:
You must be in active grief, struggling with everyday life
You must be able to come to the studio at least 3 times within 3 weeks
What you need to do:
Contact me to purchase your package.
Schedule all 3 of your appointments.
Show up for all your sessions, fill out necessary paperwork, & enjoy your treatments.
Let me follow up with you afterward, give me your feedback, ideas & any input. THAT’S IT!!!
If you are interested, willing & able, please get in touch with me right away! I would be honored to help you enter this holiday season feeling joyful & refreshed, with new hope looking toward the future.
Sara Hafer Hypnotherapist, Reiki Practitioner & Meditation Consultant
(406) 598-3543