The Reverberation of Loss: Dr. Pilar Jennings on How to deal with loss during the holidays

There is a wealth of knowledge in this conversation on loss between Susan and Dr. Pilar Jennings. "We really want to live into the fullness of our being and we can't do that without claiming the part of us that gets most hurt in childhood."

This conversation with Dr. Pilar Jennings, a long time Buddhist practitioner and psychoanalyst, arrives just in time for the holidays. During this season of giving and receiving, connection and celebration, it is entirely normal that current and prior losses are bubbling up. For some this can be an extremely difficult time because our fantasies are not jiving with our reality - making us particularly vulnerable to feeling isolated and lonely. “Be tender with yourself and find the people, the places where you feel well received, where you feel cared for and seen.” She reminds us that the psyche pushes for wellness, wanting to find some deep resource internally that can facilitate the healing we all want and need. From her Buddhist practice she offers this perspective - healing from loss can be helped through mindfulness and a spiritual practice that allows for what we find.

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Meet This Episode's Guest

Dr. Pilar Jennings

Pilar Jennings, PhD, is a psychoanalyst in private practice with a focus on the clinical applications of Buddhist meditation.  She has been working with patients and their families through the Harlem Family Institute since 2004. A visiting lecturer at Union Theological Seminary, and a guest lecturer at Columbia University, she is the author of Mixing Minds: The Power of Relationship in Psychoanalysis and Buddhism.

Find out more about Pilar and her work on her website