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November 2023
ERICSHOUSE
November 2023
Dear EricsHouse Community,

Welcome to November 2023! The Holidays can be activating and add more exhaustion in grief. GriefCode beautifully writes about the idea of Gratitude and Grief: 
 
"When we live with grief, we learn that we can feel gratitude for what we have, while still grieving what we no longer do. We can be happy in the memory of something wonderful, while mourning all of the wonderful things that will no longer - or never - be. It is not an either/or proposition." 

Of course, gratitude does not take away the pain of loss but it can bring moments of comfort and soften the edges of grief. When we experience a profound loss the grief will always be carried with us but we can also pick up moments of gratitude, joy, and peace. 

-EricsHouse
Connect With Us:
A Letter from our Founder-
Marianne Gouveia
Dear Friends and Family:

Wow! The community support in our Annual Hope & Healing Fundraiser on October 14th was heart-warming. We are filled with gratitude for all of the contributions from our members, volunteers, board members, guest speakers, and donors. As I look back to when I founded EricsHouse in 2017 to now, I am filled with both sadness and joy. I feel the heartache for how many families tragically suffer the loss of a loved one to suicide or substance use. This is paired with the admiration the EricsHouse team feels to see healing happen everyday and the connections made amongst those navigating their grief journey. 

Our goal is to continue to support grievers and expand the reach of essential services at EricsHouse. Because of the community contributions, our programs will carry on to provide grief education, one-on-one grief care, and several specialized support groups. 

I would like to thank the people who made our event a success:

  • We are sending so much love to all of the EricsHouse Members who participated in our Givebutter team pages, donated raffle items, purchased raffle tickets, and viewed our live event. Thank you to Tracey Canale, family, friends, and donors on her page! Your kindness and compassion is beautiful!

  • My amazing son, Robert Gouveia, host of the popular legal analysis podcast “Watching the Watchers”. Rob is such a big part of our event and as always lends his valuable support as our emcee and technical guru! SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL HIS VIEWERS AT WATCHING THE WATCHERS. WE LOVE YOU!! 

  • Much love to those who make EricsHouse services possible - our compassionate, knowledgeable facilitators and providers. Thank you to Kim Hamilton, Joette Fielding, and Greg Eckerman for joining us live!


  • Andrew Ecker and Monica Patton, Founders of Drumming Sounds. They demonstrate drumming and discuss “recreational music” to heal trauma. See the link in this newsletter to listen to the entire segment from our program. They have contributed their time and treasure to EricsHouse, and they brought loads of fun to our day. Learn more at Drumming Sounds.  

  • Christina Ivanhoe and Nicole Shaw, Founders of Golden Heart Wellness and Sanjeev Javia, founder of PRōZE Performance Nutrition. Christina is a loss survivor. Nicole and her have created an amazing service that includes many different solutions to staying healthy. You can learn more at Golden Heart Wellness. You can find more about “Jeevers'' great PRōZE products at www.proze.com. Click here to view A Guide to Wellness in Grief 

  • Barbara Brown of Together AZ shares essential resources and valued experience. Babara’s vision of providing assistance and information to the still suffering alcoholic, drug addict and mentally ill shines stronger today than ever. The goal is to help as many people as possible recover from substance abuse addiction and other behavioral health issues. Learn more at togetheraz.com/about/

  • Tanya Larrain, a certified relationship coach and speaker working with clients one-on-one and in groups. Tanya shows clients the essential relationship skills needed to feel heard and supported, along with providing guidance on practicing sensational self-care. She joined us to talk about honoring feelings and self-care goals in grief. Learn more at www.instagram.com/relationshiphappynow/


  • Rachael Carnes is a beloved client and grief movement facilitator. She joined EricsHouse to share about the loss of her daughter and her grief movement program Tidal Motion Movement. Click here to learn more about Rachael’s program, griefmoms.com/ Click here to view her segment, Grief Movement and Yoga

  • Mathew Blades from the “Learn from People Who Lived It Podcast,” an amazing podcast that follows brave souls who have lived through unimaginable circumstances and still found a way to heal. Check out his podcast at Learn From People Who Lived It and listen to my interview about EricsHouse on October 3rd, 2022.

  • Dr. Kathleen Rickard is an EricsHouse Board of Directors Member and wellness provider. She is a nationally certified Family Nurse Practitioner working in private practice since 1997 and specializes in energy medicine. She maintains a strong practice integrating numerous holistic modalities including breathwork, energetic healing, reiki, functional nutritional medicine, yoga, visceral manipulation, neuro-muscular manipulation, and life coaching. Click here to learn more, www.healgracefully.com/ Click here to view her segment on breathing, The Healing Power of Breathwork

  • Jill McMahon is an Advisory Board Member and a licensed professional counselor, focusing her work on grief and loss. She has specialized in working with Survivors of Suicide since 2003. Her and I talked about supporting individuals after a suicide loss. Click here to view our segment, How To Support Someone After Suicide Loss 


Last but certainly not least, the people who support and endorse the work we do along with a team of amazing staff and volunteers – Dr. Alan Wolfelt, Madison, Greg, and everyone who made this event successful. Thanks to each of you.

Please do reach out if you know anyone who could use our support during the upcoming holiday season. We are here to help!

Much love and admiration to our 2023 fundraising team.

Marianne Gouveia
Co-founder and Chairman
EricsHouse is immensely honored to provide grief support for individuals and families so no one has to grieve alone. It is truly a privilege to walk alongside our members during the most difficult times of their lives.

Tragically, suicide and substance use losses are an epidemic that affects a rising number of people. The need for our services has rapidly increased over the years.

Due to rising overhead costs and necessary capacity enhancements we are adjusting our prices. Thank you for your continued support of EricsHouse! Please email madison@ericshouse.org if you have any questions.

Support Group Fees:

  • Finding Your Way Groups (Effective now for the groups beginning in January and moving forward) - New EricsHouse Members: $150 fee for 10 sessions, Existing EricsHouse Members who have previously done this group: $75 fee for 10 sessions 

  • The Journey Onward Workshop Style Group for Men $150 fee for 10 sessions

  • Living with Meaning and Purpose Workshop Style Group for Women $275 fee for 10 sessions


One-on-one Fees (Grief Companioning, Spiritual Direction, Health Coaching, Reiki) Effective in January:

  • $50 per 1 hour sessions for all services

  • $240 for a Package of 6 sessions 
Dia de los Muertos by Greg Eckerman
I’m curious about Dia de los Muertos.  

I used to think it was just about these wildly colored, kind of weird, and sometimes scary Mexican masks and dolls, skulls, skeletons. Parades. Of course, I grew up in Iowa, so this was all pretty exotic to me. But I really didn’t know anything about Dia de los Muertos. It’s much more than I knew.

Its embarrassing. I’ve lived in Arizona for 50 years now. We had a business in Guadalajara for 10 years. I should know something about this after all this time.

Then I saw the Disney movie Coco. I realized that Dia de los Muertos is not simply a cooler, Mexican version of Halloween or even All Souls day . . . its much older and more complex phenomena. It’s embarrassing to have to admit to being educated by Disney, too, but I’ll own it.

El Dia de los Muertos is a shift to a radically different culture. It is a millennia-old tradition, maybe as much as 3000 years old.

It isn’t European or Asian in origin. It is uniquely Mexican, but it seems to have absorbed whatever came afterwards.

But what captivates me now about el Dia de los Muertos is how well it embodies actively remembering the dead. It’s about an ongoing relationship with those we’ve lost. It is very layered, both by generation and by connection. As we’ve learned, these are among the most fundamental needs of the griever.

I think questions about what it means for each of us to have that ongoing relationship with someone we’ve loved and lost are the central challenge in understanding our personal grief journeys better. It seems like it would be worth understanding what that might look like is valuable for anyone. Perhaps we can all learn from the spirit of Dia de los Muertos. I know I do.

I’ve learned a little more about Dia de los Muertos since watching Coco, but it seems like Disney did a decent job. Yet another thing I have to thank our Reesie for.
🌟 Join Us for "Navigating Conversations After Suicide Loss" 🌟

Are you ready to re-enter the world, but those probing questions like "How many children do you have?" are holding you back?

Perhaps you yearn to openly discuss your suicide loss journey, but the fear of intrusive questions keeps you silent.

Or maybe you're eager to preserve the memory of your loved one, and you're unsure where to begin.

I get it. When you've lost a loved one to suicide, the last thing you want is to spend precious time and energy scouring the internet for guidance on handling difficult conversations.

That's why I'm thrilled to introduce you to my friend Caro Brookings' upcoming interview series. She's gathered over 20 experts, authors, and support providers in the suicide loss space who are ready to empower YOU to ensure your loved one is never forgotten.

I'm grateful to be a part of this FREE 5-day interview series, and I'm eager to share my insights with you! Sign up by November 5.

📅 "Navigating Conversations After Suicide Loss" begins on November 6. Don't miss this transformative journey.

Save your seat now by CLICKING HERE: interviews.navigatingconversations.org/marianne

Together, let's navigate these conversations with strength and compassion, ensuring your loved one's memory shines brightly. 💫
Tidal Motion Grief Movement - Virtual Support Through the Holidays Series for Grieving Mothers led by Rachael Carnes
Join certified Grief Movement Guide Rachael Carnes for this healing journey for body, mind and spirit. We gather in a virtual healing space:

  • to reduce stress, fatigue and physical pain
  • to relax our thought patterns towards greater ease, and
  • to rebuild our inner selves as we join in community

Tidal Motion Grief Movement is designed to meet mothers where they’re at

  • We work from a comfortable, seated position, with inclusive options offered throughout
  • We welcome everyone, understanding each person’s grief pathway is unique
  • We walk this pathway of child loss with you – together, we don’t have to feel so alone

For more information click here, griefmoms.com/grief-movement/
GivingTuesday is a global generosity movement unleashing the power of radical generosity. It is a day that encourages people to do good. Join the global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity.

Support EricsHouse on November 28th at: www.ericshouse.org/donate-today/ 
NEW SIBLING LOSS
SUPPORT SOCIAL WORKSHOP!
Adults who lost a sibling are often called “the Forgotten Mourners.” Unique emotional complexities along with the relationships and grief of other family members can overshadow the grief of siblings. We recognize the need for support so siblings have a safe space to share their feelings in response to loss.

EricsHouse Holiday Gathering is an opportunity for bereaved individuals grieving the loss of a sibling to suicide or substance use to connect, share about their loved one, and learn some healing grief modalities. During the session we will also open it up to the group to offer any personal suggestions about what they might benefit from to promote healing after loss.

We are launching a sibling loss support group in the New Year. Our gathering on December 13th will allow us to hear from the community of sibling loss survivors about ways to enhance our new support program and welcome them to EricsHouse!

Pre-registration is required. For more information about the Healing Holiday Gathering on December 13 from 4 to 5:30pm AZ time email madison@ericshouse.org. 
Upcoming Virtual Support Groups!
The Journey Onward "Workshop"
Style Virtual Support Group for Men
Pre-registration is required. Please email Madi at madison@ericshouse.org to set up a call. This "workshop" style group is open Men who have participated in EricsHouse support groups previously and new members who are a year or more out from their loss. It is open to all losses (all relationships) to all self-harm causes (suicide, alcohol, and overdose). The Journey Onwards invites participants to look inwards and explore questions like what's next?

Sessions are designed to help you establish new priorities in life, write the next chapters of your life, and develop different perspectives on growth alongside grief. We will use various tools like the Enneagram to learn more about ourselves. 

This group begins on January 11th and ends on March 14th. We will meet weekly via Zoom for 10 weeks from 5:00 PM – 6:30 PM AZ time/MST. There is a $150 fee for the ten sessions. 

Sessions Dates: Jan 11, 18, 25 Feb 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 March 7, 14
EricsHouse coins are a tangible way to hold space for the analogy of love and loss. None of us would ever willingly reduce the pain of our grief if it meant losing any of the love behind it.

EricsHouse facilitators, Greg Eckerman and Matthew Burg plus the Men’s support group members collaborated on designing this unique coin. A special thank you to all of them!

Two inches in diameter, these coins are substantial and tactile. One side has the infinity heart, symbolizing eternal love. It includes the phrases: “The only way past the pain is through it” and “You are not alone”. The other side has a stylized representation of Melancholy, a sculpture created by Albert Gyorgy, and the phrase: “The Greater the Love, The Greater the Pain”.

We are using the EricsHouse coin as a fundraiser to help us to continue providing integrative grief care support to loss survivors. Please let us know if you would like one for yourself or someone else on their own grief journey. 

Please note, we are currently awaiting another bulk coin order. You may complete an order and we will fulfill it as soon as possible. Thank you!
We are asking for a $20 contribution for each coin. 

Our Tree of Life holds the names of people lost to suicide and substance use in the leaves on the tree. When you donate $100 in the name of your lost loved one, a personalized leaf will be placed on the tree as a lasting memorial. Leaves may also be purchased for friends and family as a gift in their loved one’s honor.