Grief can be a deeply isolating experience. When someone we love dies, it can feel as though the entire world keeps moving while ours has stopped. Friends might not know what to say or say the wrong thing. Close family may grieve very differently. And, even in a crowd, we can feel utterly alone.
This loneliness isn’t just a personal experience, it’s a cultural issue. In 2020, Dr. Vivek Murthy, former Surgeon General of the United States, published Together: The Healing Power of Human Connection in a Sometimes Lonely World, where he explored the ways modern life has made many of us feel more disconnected than ever. By 2023, he officially declared loneliness an epidemic, citing it as a public health concern with real mental and physical consequences.
Now, combine the ache of grief with a world already struggling with disconnection, and it’s easy to see why finding community, especially in the form of a support group, can be such a powerful part of healing.
The Power of Shared Experience
One of the most profound gifts of a support group is the realization: I’m not the only one feeling this way.
Grief can convince us we’re going crazy. We might feel numb one moment and overwhelmed the next. We might cry at songs, forget where we put our keys, or feel irritated by people who mean well but just don’t get it. In a support group, you hear others describe those same experiences. That’s when something inside loosens. There’s relief in knowing you’re not alone.
Support groups also help us recognize that some of the challenges we face in grief aren’t actually about us. Sometimes, it’s about others’ discomfort with the pain of loss or death. Realizing this can lift a heavy burden of self-blame or guilt. You’re not “too much” or “not grieving right,” you’re just human, navigating a loss in a world that often avoids talking about it.
If this resonates with you, you might find comfort in joining a local support group. You don’t have to go through this alone.
My Personal Journey With Support Groups
After experiencing my own loss, I joined the Living With Loss support group at Gilda’s Club Kansas City. That group became a lifeline. There was something powerful about sitting in a circle with people who understood the terrain of grief from a cancer death without needing explanation. We could be honest. We could be quiet. We could cry or laugh or sit in silence. It was all welcome.
That experience had such a deep impact on me that I eventually joined the board of Gilda’s Club, wanting to support an organization that had offered me so much during a vulnerable time.
Today, I also volunteer at Solace House, where I co-facilitate grief support groups for adults. One of the things I hear often from participants is how comforting it is to see me and my co-facilitator – two people who’ve walked through grief and are now in a place where we can companion others. It reminds them that while this pain is real, it is also survivable. There is a path forward, and they’re not walking it alone.
Why Support Groups Matter
There’s a growing body of research affirming what many of us know from experience: grief support groups help. They decrease feelings of isolation, ease symptoms of depression and anxiety, and provide a safe place to express emotions without judgment. They help us regulate our emotions, share our stories, and feel seen in a world that often rushes people to “move on.”
Grief has no fixed timeline. But in community, we don’t have to rush or hide. We’re allowed to take up space with our sorrow. We’re allowed to heal at our own pace.
Support groups also serve as stepping stones. When everything feels fractured, they offer gentle structure. When life feels overwhelming, they become one steady thing to look forward to. And when hope feels out of reach, they help us borrow someone else’s for a while, until our own starts to return.
Loneliness and Loss: A Cultural Crisis
As Dr. Murthy’s research reveals, the epidemic of loneliness predated and outlasted the pandemic. Social media, remote work, and shifting cultural norms have left many people with fewer close connections. And when grief enters the picture, that isolation can deepen.
Support groups are an antidote. They provide not just any connection, but meaningful connection. They give us a space to fully be ourselves, in all our sadness, confusion, anger, and love. In these circles, we find kindred spirits – not to fix us, but to witness us.
A Message of Hope
Grief changes us. But it doesn’t mean we’re broken.
In support groups, we see others who are further along in their grief journey. We watch them talk about their person with love and laughter, or describe how they’ve re-engaged with life in meaningful ways. We realize that if healing is possible for them, maybe it’s possible for us, too.
Support groups don’t offer quick fixes. What they offer is something much more precious: companionship on the long road of loss. A place where you don’t have to be okay. A place where healing happens in community, not in isolation.
If you’re grieving, I encourage you to explore support groups in your area. Gilda’s Club Kansas City and Solace House both offer welcoming, compassionate spaces for people navigating grief. You don’t have to do this alone.
There is healing in being together. There is hope in being seen.
If you’d like guidance on navigating grief, you can learn more about my work at my website.
Resources for Grief Support in Kansas City
There are other resources but these are two that I personally recommend.
Gilda’s Club Kansas City
Support groups, educational programs, and community for individuals and families impacted by cancer and loss.
Website: www.gildasclubkc.org
Phone: (816) 531-5444
Location: 21 W 43rd St, Kansas City, MO 64111
Solace House
A grief support center offering individual and group support for children, teens, and adults grieving a death.
Website: www.kchospice.org/solacehouse
Phone: (913) 341-0318
Location: 8012 State Line Rd, Suite 202, Leawood, KS 66208
Both organizations offer services at no cost and welcome individuals wherever they are on their grief journey.
