Sets the stages of grief to music to help us move from surviving to thriving… the entire audiobook-all 22 tracks-is spoken over original musical compositions.
Four different young adults. Four different chronic illness experiences. Plunging through 14 stages of grieving and thriving, through a melding of words and an emotional orchestra. Taking us on a moving journey from surviving… to thriving.
The Grieving Project is an invitation for you to grieve your loss, your change, your unexpected and unwanted transformation, and the inspiration and encouragement you need to awaken, express, rejuvenate, activate, connect, shine and truly thrive!
The Grieving Project is a powerful and inventive spoken word audiobook that sets the stages of grief to music to help us move from surviving to thriving… the entire audiobook-all 22 tracks-is spoken over original musical compositions.
Four different young adults. Four different chronic illness experiences. Plunging through 14 stages of grieving and thriving, through a melding of words and an emotional orchestra. Taking us on a moving journey from surviving… to thriving.
What can you do when you struggle with an illness or disability that doesn’t go away? You can deny it. You can suffer from and live in fear of it. You can scream at it and demand to know why it’s there. You can come to terms with it. You can feel sorry for yourself. You can make friends with it. You can learn to live your life with it. You can grieve. And perhaps if you grieve, you can awaken, express, rejuvenate, activate, connect, shine and thrive, not only despite, but because of it.
During the 14 years I’ve lived with my rare progressive muscle weakness disease, dermatomyositis, I was so busy creating that I forgot to grieve. Or perhaps, like many of you, I didn’t ever realize I needed to grieve an illness… In The Grieving Project, I’ve invited myself to grieve and thrive; to express and feel in all the ways I’ve intentionally avoided, and from my own experiences, created seven new stages of thriving that pick up after grieving.
Though presented as separate stages, grieving and thriving do not follow not linear timelines; they are a roller coaster with myriad twists and turns, and an intense jumble of simultaneous physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual feelings and reactions. I adapted the seven stages of grief from Elizabeth-Kübler Ross.
The Grieving Project is a road map to our hearts, an invitation for you to grieve your loss, your change, your unexpected and unwanted transformation, and the inspiration and encouragement you need to awaken, express, rejuvenate, activate, connect, shine and truly thrive!
Read my story I Forgot to Grieve here.
“Keep Shining” shares my struggle with rare illness and disability as well as my recovery and is a powerful reminder to never give up. I’ve included it here both to share some of my story and because it was a spark… when I shared this video with a nurse during one of my monthly infusions, she told me that my video and song could help patients get in touch with feelings around their illnesses that they may not otherwise be able to access. The impact of her statement stayed with me… and sparked The Grieving Project.
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© 2023 The Grieving Project
Living with a chronic illness for 15 years, Lisa Sniderman, also known as Aoede, creates, records, and shares her original musicals, art, music, and stories to express, foster healing, elevate, empower and advocate for people with chronic illnesses and disabilities to grieve and thrive. She’s been honored with 100+ awards and accolades for songwriting, albums, films, stage plays, spoken word, books, all while battling a rare, disabling autoimmune disease. (Read More)