The Embodied Grief Journey™
Somatic grief support for women navigating parent loss and anxiety
Grief can leave you feeling unmoored, overwhelmed, and unlike yourself — especially after the death of a parent. On the outside, you may be functioning, caring for others, and keeping life moving. Inside, your nervous system may feel wired, exhausted, anxious, or unable to fully rest.
The Embodied Grief Journey™ offers trauma-informed somatic grief support to help you steady your nervous system, soften survival mode, and begin feeling more grounded in your body again. Through grief education, breathwork, mindfulness, reflection, and gentle body-based practices, you’ll learn how to carry your loss with more compassion, steadiness, and self-trust.
Rooted in the Portland metro area and Lincoln City, Oregon, sessions and community offerings are available online for women seeking gentle, embodied support wherever they are in their grief journey.
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 unlike yourself? It may be grief.
Grief doesn’t always look like tears. Often, it lives in the body and nervous system in ways we don’t expect.
You may be moving through your days—working, caring for others, keeping things going—while internally feeling wired, exhausted, or unsettled.
You might notice:
Difficulty sleeping or ongoing 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 mode
Guilt, confusion, or the sense that you “should be doing better by now”
If this feels familiar, you’re not alone—and nothing about this means you’re doing grief wrong.
The Embodied Grief Circle, offers a compassionate space for somatic grief healing—where your experience can be witnessed and supported in community. For more personalized care, 1:1 Embodied Grief Support sessions offer steady, individualized guidance at your own pace.
Through circles, workshops, and one-on-one sessions, I offer trauma-informed, body-based practices—including breathwork, mindful movement, and somatic reflection—to help regulate your nervous system, ease anxiety, and gently restore a sense of steadiness.
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 inner world.
After the death of a parent, you may find yourself lying awake at night with racing thoughts… moving through your days feeling anxious, exhausted, or numb… doing your best to keep everything going while quietly wondering, Why does this still feel so hard?
On the outside, you may be functioning—showing up for work, family, and responsibilities. On the inside, your nervous system may feel wired, unsettled, or stuck in survival mode.
At The Embodied Grief Journey™, you don’t have to navigate this alone.
I offer trauma-informed, body-based grief support that goes beyond talk-based approaches. Together, we work with the nervous system—through somatic practices, breathwork, mindful movement, and reflection—to help you move out of survival mode and begin to feel more steady, grounded, and like yourself again.
This approach integrates both science and lived experience—honoring the emotional and physiological impact of grief. Rather than rushing healing or trying to “fix” your grief, we create space for it to be witnessed, supported, and gently integrated.
Here, grief is not something to get over. It’s something to move with—at your own pace, in your own way—so you can reconnect with yourself and carry your love forward with steadiness and self-trust.
If you’re ready to explore what this kind of support could look like, you’re welcome to begin with 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 makes somatic grief support different from talk therapy?
Somatic grief support works with the understanding that grief is not only emotional—it’s also physical. While talking can be an important part of processing loss, many experiences of grief live in the body and nervous system. You might notice this as anxiety, restlessness, fatigue, or a sense of being “stuck.” In our work together, we gently incorporate body-based practices—such as breathwork, grounding, and mindful awareness—to support your nervous system in settling and integrating your experience. This isn’t about replacing traditional approaches, but about offering another pathway—one that includes the body as part of healing.
Who is this work best suited for?
Many of the people I work with are navigating the loss of a parent or another profound life transition. Often, they’re continuing to show up for work, family, and daily life—but internally may feel anxious, exhausted, or unlike themselves. You might notice your nervous system feels “on edge,” or like it hasn’t fully settled since your loss. At the same time, this work is not limited to one type of grief. I support individuals moving through many forms of loss—whether that’s the death of a loved one, a relationship ending, caregiving burnout, identity shifts, or cumulative life transitions. If you’re feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or unsure how to move forward—and are drawn to a gentle, body-based approach—you’re welcome here.
Do I need any experience with yoga, 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 60 minutes. Group Embodied Grief Gatherings are also one hour and may include meditation, journaling, or discussion prompts. All sessions are held virtually, and for group gatherings, 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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