The Embodied Grief Journey™
Walking the Path of Embodied Grief, Together
Grief can leave you feeling unmoored, overwhelmed, or disconnected from yourself. Whether you’re facing the death of a loved one, the loss of a relationship, or a life transition that’s reshaped your identity, it can feel hard to know how to move forward.
The Embodied Grief Journey™ helps you find your way through grief with compassion and somatic, trauma-informed support. Together, we use somatic practices, mindfulness, breathwork, and reflection to help you feel grounded in your body, supported in community, and connected to your own resilience.
Getting started is simple. Begin with a complimentary Discovery Call to share where you are and explore which offering—1:1 sessions, group gatherings, or workshops—might best support your grief journey.
Rooted in both the greater Portland area and Lincoln City, Oregon, The Embodied Grief Journey™ offers online grief coaching and somatic grief support for individuals and communities wherever their journey takes them.
Somatic Practices for Healing, Resilience and Transformation
Virtual Sessions Across Oregon and Beyond
No Wait Lists & Flexible Booking Times
Grief is love carried forward - an unfolding journey to be met with compassion.
Struggling with Sleep, Anxiety, or Feeling Stuck? It May Be Grief.
Grief doesn’t always look like tears. Often, it shows up in the body and nervous system in ways we don’t expect. You may be experiencing:
Difficulty sleeping or constant fatigue
Anxiety, restlessness, or feeling “on edge”
A heavy sense of sadness, emptiness, or numbness
Trouble concentrating or making decisions
Feeling disconnected from yourself or others
Physical tension, aches, or a nervous system “stuck” in survival
Guilt, confusion, or feeling like you “should be doing better by now”
You don’t have to navigate this alone. The Embodied Grief Circle, is a compassionate space for somatic grief healing—a place to be witnessed and supported in community. For more personal guidance, 1:1 Embodied Grief Support sessions offer individualized care to move gently at your own pace.
Through circles, workshops, retreats, and one-on-one sessions, I offer body-based grief healing practices—including breathwork, mindful movement, and somatic reflection—to help regulate the nervous system, ease anxiety, and restore resilience.
When you’re ready, you can schedule a complimentary Discovery Call to explore what kind of support feels most aligned for your healing journey.
Our Offerings
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Grief is unique to every person, and so is the way we move through it. We offer compassionate, trauma-informed support to help you navigate loss with gentleness and care. Through individual coaching, embodied grief gatherings, workshops, and retreats, we create spaces where your grief can be witnessed, honored, and integrated at your own pace.
Explore the Programs page to learn more about the ways we can walk this journey together.
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Grief touches every workplace and community, yet it is often left unspoken. We partner with organizations to bring compassionate, trauma-informed approaches to navigating grief and loss. Through speaking engagements, workshops, and trainings, we help teams foster resilience, connection, and understanding—creating environments where people feel supported in both their work and their humanity.
Explore the Invite Dawn to Speak page to learn more about organizational offerings and speaking opportunities.
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Grief is multidimensional, and healing can be supported through many pathways. we partner with other health and wellness professionals to create integrative grief programming that combines diverse modalities—movement, body-based practices, creative expression, and more. These collaborations offer participants a holistic, supportive experience for connection, restoration, and embodied healing.
Explore the Grief Collaborations page to learn more about ways we can partner.
Get started with The Embodied Grief Journey™!
Why Choose The Embodied Grief Journey™
Grief is not only about loss—it’s about the way loss reshapes your world. Maybe you’re lying awake at night with racing thoughts. Maybe you feel anxious, exhausted, or numb, unable to focus or connect the way you used to. Or maybe you’ve been “the strong one” for everyone else, quietly wondering, Who will hold me?
At The Embodied Grief Journey™, you don’t have to go through this alone. I offer trauma-informed, body-based grief support that goes beyond talk therapy. Together, we weave somatic practices, breathwork for grief, mindful movement, and reflection to create space for your nervous system to regulate, your emotions to be honored, and your spirit to feel supported.
This somatic grief healing approach integrates both science and soul—helping you reconnect with your body, find grounding in the midst of loss, and gently move toward healing.
Here, grief is not something to fix or rush through. It’s something to be witnessed, tended, and integrated—so you can remember your wholeness, even in the midst of change.
If you’re ready to explore what embodied grief support could look like for you, schedule a complimentary Discovery Call to see how one-on-one embodied grief sessions or embodied grief circles might help you feel more grounded and supported.
Dawn M. Geoppinger (she/her)
Founder,
Trauma-Informed Grief & Embodiment Coach
Core Values
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Grief is not something to move past—it’s something to move with. We honor grief as a sacred process of remembrance, transformation, and love in motion. Whether it arises from loss, change, or life transition, grief carries wisdom and invites us into deeper connection with ourselves, others, and the world around us. We honor its many seasons and expressions, trusting it as a lifelong companion that shapes meaning, compassion, and resilience.
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We honor the body as a wise and trustworthy guide. Through somatic practices and gentle movement, we reconnect with sensations, emotions, and truth held deep within. The body is not a problem to fix, but a place to listen.
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We prioritize consent, choice, and pacing in every session. Clients are always in the driver’s seat, free to share as much or as little as feels right in the moment. We recognize that healing is not linear, and honor the body’s wisdom to guide the process.
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Inspired by Polyvagal Theory, we center practices that support regulation and co-regulation. Healing unfolds when the body feels “safe enough” to soften, sense, and integrate.
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We show up with attunement, humility, and care—walking alongside each person as a witness and companion, never as a fixer. Healing happens in relationship, not isolation.
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We work with the unseen—energy, intuition, and intention—as vital parts of healing. Practices like energy therapy, visualization, and grounding support the integration of the emotional, physical, and energetic body.
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We draw inspiration from the natural world—its rhythms of change, rest, decay, and renewal. Nature reminds us that healing is cyclical, nonlinear, and deeply wise.
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We honor the human need for ritual, symbolism, and sacred pause. Through breath, movement, ceremony, and intention, we mark moments of transition, remember our loved ones, and make space for new meaning to emerge.
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We believe grief deserves language, learning, and embodiment. Grief literacy means deepening our understanding of how loss, change, and transition live within us and around us—personally, culturally, and collectively. Education helps dispel myths, reduce stigma, and expand compassion. Embodied practice invites us to move beyond the mind alone, honoring the body’s wisdom as an essential guide in grief. Together, literacy and embodiment create pathways for healing, resilience, and a more grief-informed world.
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Healing thrives in spaces of belonging. We create inclusive containers for shared experience and honest connection, where people of all backgrounds feel seen, heard, valued, and supported. Together, we nurture community that honors diversity, fosters equity, and celebrates the richness of our differences as a source of collective growth.
Start Your Journey — Book a Discovery Call
Take the first step in your grief journey with a complimentary discovery call. This 20–minute conversation gives us a chance to connect, explore your needs, and determine which of our offerings—1:1 sessions, workshops, or group gatherings—might best support you. There’s no pressure, just a welcoming space to talk and see how I can walk alongside you on your journey.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is embodied grief support?
Embodied grief support blends somatic practices—such as breathwork, gentle movement, and grounding—with space for reflection and conversation. These practices help you process grief not just with your mind, but with your whole body, which often holds unspoken aspects of loss.
Who are these offerings for??
These offerings are for anyone navigating grief, loss, or life transitions. Whether you are grieving the death of a loved one, a significant life change, or cumulative losses, the sessions and gatherings provide a supportive, compassionate space. All levels of experience with somatic practices, mindfulness, or group work are welcome, and each offering is designed to meet participants where they are in their unique grief journey.
Do I need any experience with movement, meditation, or somatic work?
Not at all. All sessions and gatherings are beginner-friendly and guided with care. You’ll be supported to participate in ways that feel safe and accessible for you.
How long are the sessions and what should I bring?
One-on-one sessions are typically 45 minutes. Embodied Grief Circles are 60 minutes and may include meditation, journaling, or discussion prompts. All sessions are held virtually and you’re invited to bring a yoga mat, journal, and pen to fully engage in the practices.
Is what I share confidential, and will sessions be recorded?
Your privacy is deeply respected. One-on-one sessions are fully confidential, except as required by law. Group gatherings encourage confidentiality, though it cannot be fully guaranteed, so please share only what feels safe for you. Some sessions or workshops may be recorded for educational purposes; by attending, you consent to recordings being used in a way that protects participant privacy..
Get Started With The Embodied Grief Journey™
We offer free 20 minute Discovery Calls to learn more about one another and determine if we are a good fit. You can also book directly online using the buttons below.
“I bring a blend of completed and ongoing training to my work, including certifications as a Grief Educator (with David Kessler) and Somatic Anxiety Coach and Breathwork and Movement Coach (through The Embody Lab). I am also deepening my practice through Yoga Teacher Training (through Akasha Yoga Academy) and a 7-month immersion in Nervous System Health & Restoration (with Dr. Arielle Schwartz). These experiences ground my approach in both knowledge and embodied practice.”
Somatic Anxiety Coach
I have completed The Embody Lab’s Somatic Anxiety Coach training, a program rooted in science, mindfulness, and body-based practices. This training deepened my ability to support others in navigating anxiety and stress with compassion, while fostering a greater sense of presence, resilience, and safety within the body. Combined with my certification as a Grief Educator through David Kessler, these practices allow me to hold space for the complex layers of grief and anxiety, guiding individuals with both heart and evidence-based tools.
Certified Grief Educator
I am a Certified Grief Educator through David Kessler, a program that combines evidence-based grief theory with compassionate, heart-centered approaches to loss. This training has equipped me to support individuals through the many layers of grief with sensitivity, presence, and care. Grounded in both knowledge and lived experience, I hold space for people to explore their grief in ways that honor their unique journey and foster healing.
Breathwork and Movement Coach
I have completed The Embody Lab’s Breathwork & Movement Therapy for Trauma Healing training. This program explored the body’s innate wisdom to release trauma through breath, movement, and embodied awareness. I studied science-backed approaches to help guide clients from disconnection to embodiment, from rigidity to fluidity, and from numbness to aliveness. Through practices that honor the body’s primal language of sensation, breath, and movement, I learned to support nervous system regulation, emotional release, and deeper integration—offering tools that go beyond conventional talk-based approaches to healing.
Common Reflections from Clients
“Clients often share that our sessions bring them a deeper sense of presence, embodiment, and transformation—sometimes for the first time in decades.”
Client Testimonial, Penny
“With Dawn’s guidance, grief becomes a doorway to strength, self-awareness, and healing.”
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