Welcome to the July issue of our Helping Parents Heal Newsletter!
We are glad you have found us. This newsletter is a space that allows us to share our amazing children. We are all in this together. We understand and we walk the same path. Thank you for your compassion and for the constant support you provide. Together, we will help each other heal!
Once again, this month's newsletter contains stories of validation and spiritual growth. We hope that it will bring some peace and comfort to you and your loved ones. We are pleased to announce that many exciting things are happening with our group. 4 new affiliate groups will be available in the near future, with three that have scheduled meetings in the upcoming months. Please check out information about Denise Kennedy and her Silver City, NM affiliate, Tracey Houston Venters and her Dallas affiliate, Dr. Mark Pitstick, Teri Simonds-Snyder, Lavaughn Margraff and Lee Rowley and their Columbus affiliate and Dr. Mark Pitstick and Robert Langfelder and their Sarasota affiliate. Photos and bios of all of our affiliate leaders are available on our website, www.helpingparentsheal.info. Our co-founder Mark Ireland is the administrator for the site and has been hard at work adding all of the new affiliates. Plus we are happy to announce that a new Ben's Bells studio has opened in Phoenix and that our non-profit will be partnering with Ben's Bells to help parents heal. Last but not least, we are very excited to announce that the author of our Question and Answer column, Dr. Mark Pitstick, will be speaking to our Phoenix parent group on September 24th before he presents a special workshop at Unity Church. Lots of opportunities for parents to meet each other and to make new friends.
Sending love, light and warm memories to each one of you as you navigate this bittersweet time. You are not alone.
-Elizabeth Boisson, Co-Founder and President of Helping Parents Heal, Newsletter Editor and Affiliate Leader for Phoenix/Scottsdale.
Elephant Butte-Cave Creek, Arizona
Parents Helping Others - Ben's Bells Opens a New Studio in Phoenix
Elizabeth Boisson with the Founder of Ben's Bells, Jeannette Maré
We are happy to announce that Ben's Bells, a non-profit that was created by Jeannette Maré after the death of her son Ben, has opened a new studio in Phoenix!
The first time I heard of Ben’s Bells was at a candlelit vigil for my son Morgan given by the University of Arizona Cheerleaders after the homecoming game in 2009. One of the cheerleaders, Morgan's close friend, came up to me after the service. She gave our family a beautiful handmade bell that had been sent to us by Jeannette Maré, the founder of Ben’s Bells. It was a simple, beautiful act of kindness. Morgan had volunteered at Ben’s Bells while he was in college. I was very grateful for this gift and wanted to meet Jeannette.
My husband and I had lunch with her the following week. Jeannette had also lost a son ten years earlier. She had turned her grief into a wonderful organization that helps parents overcome their grief.
Ben’s Bells spreads kindness by making bells and hanging them in cities for people to find. The Mission Statement of Ben's Bells is: To inspire, educate and motivate people to realize the impact of intentional kindness, and to empower individuals to act according to that awareness, thereby strengthening ourselves, our relationships and our communities. Ben’s Bells not only has two studios in Tucson; they also have one in Newton, Connecticut and in Phoenix. They are currently looking for volunteer studio assistants who will commit to helping in the new Phoenix studio on a regular basis. The address of the studio is 417 E. Roosevelt and it officially opened for business on June 5th. If you are interested in volunteering, please email Christy at Christy@bensbells.org. Please check out the website to learn more about this wonderful organization.
Ben Packard and the Ben's Bells Logo
Dr. Mark Pitstick and his book 'SoulProof'
Evolved Souls Don’t Need Long Earthly Lives
July 2015
by Mark Pitstick, MA, DC
Welcome to the Helping Parents Heal Q & A. I recommend that you read the foundational articles that form a basis for my answers. Links to those are located at the bottom of my website home page www.soulproof.com under Soul Proof Articles. You can also read them on the Helping Parents Heal website under Healing Articles by Dr. Pitstick here.
Q: I don't understand how some people can be so cruel to their kids. I just lost my unborn son May 23, 2015 while 27 weeks pregnant after I was hit by a drunk driver. I would do anything to have my son back. People need to realize how beautiful kids are and how much of a blessing they are. - Lesley
A: Lesley, I am sorry for the pain and other emotions you are experiencing but am glad you’ve found the Helping Parents Heal group. People are cruel to their kids or others because they are in pain, unbalanced, and unaware we are all connected.
Perhaps there is a blessing amidst your tragedy that will help others wake up to how precious children—and people of all ages—really are. For example, the drunk driver may realize how wrong those actions are or drunk driving laws might become tougher because of your and other accidents.
I recommend reading the article “When a Child Dies” from the sources listed above. That will remind you that although you lost the physical form of your baby, you and that soul will always be connected and will certainly meet again in another time and place. Love and Light, Mark
Q: Is it just me or does it make you feel better when you go to the cemetery and you see something left by others? I went there today to visit my beautiful daughter and someone brought her a big bouquet of roses. I love when I know people remember her. - Faith
A: Thank you for your beautiful note, Faith. Other bereaved parents and family members have expressed how good it feels to know their departed loved one is not forgotten. It helps to know that others are missing and remembering her.
And, of course, your beautiful daughter is looking upon all that and smiling. Yes, those in other realms still love roses. Best wishes, Mark
Q: My sweet son RJ—forever 26—died 3 years ago. My whole life changed and I am still lost and broken. How does a mother move forward? I work on it every single day, but my grief still overcomes me and it’s the first day all over again. - Tammi
A: I am so sorry for your grieving, Tammi. It can be the absolute worse pain. Here are a few suggestions for moving forward as you want to do.
1. Realize that RJ is not stuck in time. He may be 26 years old forever in your mind but that’s limiting who and what he really is. He is an eternal being who is growing and living in another part of forever. Remembering that might help.
2. I know that each day can feel like the first day all over again but it’s not. You’ve survived three years and you are going to make it. I recommend that you read the articles (see how at top of this article) “Holistic Information for Bereaved Families” and “7 Keys to Fine-Tune Your Body/Mind.” Taking these basic but powerful steps will help you keep on keeping on.
3. Read the article I suggested for Lesley.
Follow the guidelines in those articles and let me know how it’s going in a few months. Keeping you in my thoughts and prayers, Mark
Q: Need your advice on this one. My granddaughter put hand soap in the fish bowl and the fish died. She also threw raw eggs all over the backyard. My son thinks she is acting out because her mom died 18 months ago and now they are moving. If she were my child I would have been taking her for grief therapy and would have the therapist to ask. Her dad has been sleeping day and night. He spoils her and lets her do whatever she wants to do. Not sure how to handle all this. - Lynn
A: It’s doubly tough for you, Lynn, because you know that she and your son are out of balance. And you, as the grandparent, can only do so much to help, especially after they move. Here are a few suggestions:
1. keep them both in your highest thoughts and prayers every day. Research has shown that those have positive effects on those being prayed for.
2. Remember that, although a child in earth years, your granddaughter is likely an evolved soul. Why do I say that? She, as a soul, chose a tough scenario with her mother dying and her dad not handling things very well. From an earthly perspective, it’s a horrible tragedy and sad situation. From a soul perspective, it’s a ripe environment for growth and service.
3. Have a grandmotherly talk with her and gently but firmly let her know that she needs to act appropriately. She may react angrily but her anger is really toward life, not you. She will also appreciate that an adult cares and sees that things are out of control. Put yourself in her place and have a heart to heart talk with her: “Honey, if I were you, I’d be throwing worse things than eggs. But that’s not going to bring your mom back. I’m very sad too and miss her horribly.” Then let her cry.
4. Don’t put too much pressure on yourself. You’re only the grandmother in this very brief part of forever. Someday, mark my word, all of your souls will see this tough time for what it is: an exquisite opportunity for growing, learning, and loving. Sending you love, energy, and highest thoughts, Mark
Q: Memorial weekend two years ago I lost my son to a tragic accident while camping. He was fatally shot by his older brother who loved him so much. Our lives were shattered that day. Not only did I lose my youngest son, I almost lost my oldest who will never be the same again. As a mom you want to make everything OK but I can't. Not a day has gone past that I don't cry for my son and family. Has anyone else experienced a tragedy like this? How do I hold it together and be the strong one? With the two year mark coming up, I am ready to fall apart. – Linda
A: Linda, I wish I could wave a magic wand and go back in time before the accident —but I can’t. This is definitely a tough one because your other son was so devastated as well. Only the bravest souls would volunteer to go through a tough one like this so let’s explore how you all can find the silver linings.
First, read the articles I’ve already recommended above. If you’re still crying every day, you likely have nutritional deficiencies that are affecting brain balance. This is very common in women with one or more pregnancies. If key minerals and other nutrients aren’t replaced with whole food supplements and diet, the symptoms can pile up. Add the severe stress of a child passing on and the stage is set for insomnia, fatigue, depression, anxiety, etc. As mentioned in the articles, I’ve found Nutrition Response Testing (NRT) to be the best way to evaluate and address these imbalances. Visit www.unsinc.info to find a practitioner near you so you heal, not fall apart.
I recommend the same for your son. There are many clinical stories of people who had severe losses and tragedies but recovered after this natural health care. Koren Specific Technique or KST is a chiropractic approach that releases emotional blocks and trauma. Visit https://teddkorenseminars.com/directory.asp to find a doctor near you who uses this technique. NRT and KST are two miraculous approaches that have helped many people get well again.
Q: My daughter passed last year after a preventable accident at age fourteen. There was negligence on the part of the school and airport. I know that each soul has its destiny, but accidents happen and people make mistakes that cause the conditions in which others lose their life. We as parents feel compelled to seek accountability from those bearing responsibility. This can cause anger, but it needs to be done. What do you suggest? - Patrice
A: Very well put, Patrice. I’m glad you understand the dual nature of life as humans. On one hand, her passing was a horrible tragedy and those accountable should be held responsible. Hopefully, that will prevent similar accidents in the future. Do what you need to do to feel that justice has been served.
AT THE SAME TIME, as you say, each soul has its destiny. How else can a soul in a child’s body return Home, to the next phase of forever, except by what appears—from a limited human perspective—to be a horrible accident or illness? From that viewpoint, the accident was her ticket back into the Light.
Understanding each of these views and living accordingly has been likened to walking on a razor’s edge. It’s not easy but it is the only way an earth-experience can make sense: remember we are spiritually immortal while accepting our physical mortality and transience. I wish you the very best as you find that balance and bless others in the process. Mark
Mark Pitstick, MA, DC is an author, clinical psychologist, chiropractic physician, frequent media guest, and workshop leader who helps you know and show that, no matter what is going on around you, your earth-experience is a totally safe and magnificent adventure amidst forever. You’ll receive a series of free articles addressing life’s toughest changes and challenges—including a child dying—when you sign up for his free newsletter at www.soulproof.com. Also on that site are free articles and radio interviews with top experts in consciousness studies. Email him at mark@soulproof.com to ask your toughest and most challenging questions.
NEW GROUP - Columbus, Ohio
We are proud to announce the first meeting of Helping Parents Heal - Columbus on August 5th! Dr. Mark Pitstick will co-facilitate this new group with Teri Simonds-Snyder, Lavaughn Margraff and Lee Rowley. Please take a minute to read the bios of our new group leaders. Teri and Lori Fina-Jennings started this group several years ago and Lori then retired to Florida. It is exciting that it will restart with a wonderful team of facilitators! Please RSVP for this meeting here.
Dr. Mark Pitstick:
Mark Pitstick, MA, DC, has over forty years’ experience and training in hospitals, pastoral counseling settings, mental health centers, and holistic private practice. His training includes a premedical degree, graduate theology/pastoral counseling studies, masters in clinical psychology, and doctorate in chiropractic health care.
He has worked with tens of thousands of patients and has been with many people, including children, at their time of death. Mark also served as a suicide prevention counselor and speaker. He is certified by Dr. Raymond Moody for the facilitated after-death contact technique and by Dr. Brian Weiss for past-life regression therapy.
Dr. Pitstick authored Soul Proof: Compelling Evidence You Are an Infinite Spiritual/Energetic Being. Dr. Bernie Siegel wrote the forward and Drs. Wayne Dyer, Raymond Moody and others contributed to it. He also wrote Radiant Wellness: A Holistic Guide for Optimal Body, Mind & Spirit, endorsed by Drs. Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, Deepak Chopra, Ken Ring and others.
A frequent media guest, Pitstick hosted two radio shows “Ask the Soul Doctors” and “Soul-utions.” He was the executive producer for the Soul Proof documentary film. He is currently writing a book “Ask the Soul Doctors: Answers to Your Biggest Questions about Life, Death, and Afterlife” with contributions from Caroline Myss, Anita Moorjani, Raymond Moody, Stan Grof, and others.
Mark conducts nationwide workshops on spiritual awareness and optimal wellness. Pitstick has been a review editor and contributor to many magazines and e-zines. He founded the Radiant Wellness Center that utilizes advanced holistic health care methods and practices part-time.
Mark Pitstick, MA, DC mark@soulproof.com www.soulproof.com www.radiantwellness.com
Teri Simonds-Snyder:
I feel honored to be a part of leading HPH-Columbus, along with Dr Mark Pitstick, Lee Rowley and Lavaughn Margraff. Studies of the afterlife, NDE's and past life therapy were very instrumental in my own healing. I heard about HPH thru Sheri Perl Migdol, after connecting with her after reading her 2 life-changing books. Then, when 4 friends lost their sons in 1 summer, I felt called to support them and HPH provides the perfect format. I assisted Lori Fina Jennings with the Ohio chapter. Lori has now retired to FLA. I also want to thank Elizabeth for welcoming me into her group, and for creating such a wonderful organization for healing bereaved parents.
Lavaughn Margraff:
I was a mother of four children one day and the next day my oldest son died suddenly from a stroke. Twenty four hours after my son transitioned into spirit he visited me in my dreams. I have received many dream visits from my son, but the most amazing was when Robert came to me holding his sixteen year old cat and said kitty wants to say goodbye. I woke up to check on his cat the cat was warm, but dead. I still miss Robert everyday and try to be there for my other children.. I have always identified myself as a mother and my children are my life. The new me is more compassionate and emotional.
Lee Rowley:
In January 2013, my only child passed away from a rare genetic disorder shortly after her 10th birthday. Although I committed to carrying on Aria’s legacy of compassion and strength, my journey through grief was less than graceful. I battled alcohol abuse and depression, and had some pretty spectacular meltdowns that probably should have driven away my friends and family for good. (Thankfully, they stuck around.) Rather than hide these things, though, I choose to use them as important teaching tools in the grief journey. Loss of a child is a pain like no other, and none of us handle it as well as we think we “should.” But in the end, the highs, the lows, and the epic meltdowns all confirm our beautiful, fragile humanity… and our connections with the children we can no longer see, hear, or touch.
-Dr. Mark Pitstick will also be speaking to our Phoenix/Scottsdale parent group on September 24th at Unity Church before he does a special workshop about his book and film 'Soul Proof' at Unity from September 25th-27th. This will be an amazing opportunity to meet the author of our Question and Answer column and to learn how to heal from grief. Please RSVP for this meeting here.
June 25th Scottsdale Meeting- Unity of Phoenix
Quinton and his beautiful parents, Ernie and Kristine Jackson
We are happy to announce that Ernie and Kristine Jackson will be speaking at our June meeting. Their beautiful son Quinton passed in a car accident in June, 2009. The publishing of the second book about him, 'Quinton's Legacy', coincided with his 6-year Angel Date on June 10th. Ernie is on the Board of Helping Parents Heal and he and Kristine have dedicated their lives to helping others. They are inspirational, compassionate and caring speakers. Plus they always offer a big smile and a hug to everyone they meet. Please join us for this uplifting, healing meeting. You can also learn more about Ernie, Kristine and Quinton at www.quintonsmessages.com. If you would like to join us, please RSVP for this meeting here. We kindly request a $5 'love donation' for this meeting that is split equally between Unity of Phoenix and the Jacksons. Our meeting time is from 6:30 - 8:30 pm.
June 25th Meeting of Helping Parents Heal - New Jersey with Karen Noé
Karen Noé and her latest book
Please join Christine Corallo Volpe as she welcomes renowned Psychic Medium, Spiritual Counselor and Energy Healer Karen Noé to the June 25th Meeting of Helping Parents Heal - New Jersey. Karen is the author of Your Life After Their Death: A Medium’s Guide to Healing After a Loss and Through the Eyes of Another: A Medium’s Guide to Creating Heaven on Earth by Encountering Your Life Review Now. She is the founder of The Angel Quest Center in Ramsey NJ, where she teaches classes, gives readings, and practices alternative healing. You can listen to Karen on The Angel Quest Radio Show by tuning to www.wrcr.com on the first Saturday of every month at 1:05pm Eastern time. Visit her on her web site at www.karennoe.com. You can RSVP for the meeting here.
Upcoming Presenters for Helping Parents Heal - Phoenix/Scottsdale:
Jamie Clark, Dr. Mark Pitstick, Thaddeus Ferguson and Susanne Wilson
August 27th-Psychic Medium Jamie Clark - Click here to RSVP
September 24th-Dr. Mark Ptistick - Click here to RSVP
October 22nd-Yogi Thaddeus Ferguson - Click here to RSVP
January 28th - Psychic Medium Susanne Wilson - Click here to RSVP
Please note-we will not be holding a July meeting in Phoenix/Scottsdale.
Sheri’s Corner-
Wisdom and Quotes from The East Coast
Sheri’s Corner-Wisdom and Quotes from the East Coast
“I am quite confident that the most important part of a human being is not his physical body but his non-physical essence which some people call soul and others personality. The non-physical part cannot die and cannot decay because it’s not physical.”
-Rabbi Harold Samuel Kushner---prominent American rabbi aligned with the progressive wing of Conservative Judaism, and a popular author.
The more that I learn, the more I realize that we’ve got it backwards. All those things that we thought were solid and real are perishable, and those things that some of us never even knew existed, they are the things that are eternal. The body does not survive death, however, personality does. Just think about that. Personality, that part of a person that you cannot see, feel or touch is what actually survives. So, we need to become more acquainted with that which is not perishable, for therein lays the only things we can hold onto.
-Written by our NYC Affiliate Leader, Sheri Perl Migdol
Sheri will be holding a meeting of Helping Parents Heal - NYC on July 19th. Please RSVP here.
Please visit Sheri's Prayer Registry here.
Would you like to share a story of validation or healing with other Parents?
We are all able to heal when we share personal stories about our children with others. Moreover, everyone benefits from validations that we receive from our children. We love to hear about them! If you have a story that you would like to share about your child, please let us know and we will include it in a future newsletter. Please send it to Elizabeth Boisson at boissonelizabeth@gmail.com (Due to space limitations, please be sure it is no longer than 1 page.)
Also, if you have not yet done so, please send me your child's full name, Birthday and Angel Date so that I can add him or her to our list of children on our Facebook Site. We pay tribute to our children on their special dates with a favorite photo and a description of their lives. Please send all information to Elizabeth at boissonelizabeth@gmail.com.
Mission statement of Helping Parents Heal:
Our mission is to help parents who have lost children, giving them support and resources to aid in the healing process. We will go a step beyond other groups by allowing the open discussion of spiritual experiences and evidence for the Afterlife in a non-dogmatic way. In other words, we will welcome everyone regardless of their religious (or non-religious) background and allow for a very open type of dialog.
-Mark Ireland, Co-Founder, Helping Parents Heal
Sending peace, love and white light to you and your beautiful children
Note: Information in the Helping Parents Heal newsletter is provided for the sole purpose of assisting you in finding resources (information, meetings, books, etc.) to aid in the bereavement process. This newsletter is not intended to endorse, sponsor or encourage your use of any of the information or services listed, whether from members or other individuals. Rather, our intent is simply to inform you of vast amount of resources available for your consideration. We urge you to independently research and consider the value any particular resource for yourself. Further, while we take steps to ensure accuracy of the information posted, especially relative to linked media, we accept no liability for content. Helping Parents Heal is a non-profit Corporation.
Helping Parents Heal -Phoenix/Scottsdale June 25th with guest speakers Ernie & Kristine Jackson, hosted by Elizabeth Boisson. Please RSVP 
Helping Parents Heal-Silver City, NM, July 1st hosted by Denise Kennedy. Please RSVP 
Helping Parents Heal - Phoenix Special Event at the new Ben's Bells studio hosted by Jeanette Maré and Elizabeth Boisson - July 7th. Please RSVP 
Helping Parents Heal-Dallas with Tracey Houston Venters - July 14th. Please RSVP 
Helping Parents Heal - Phoenix/Scottsdale with Yogi Thaddeus Ferguson, hosted by Elizabeth Boisson, October 22nd. Please RSVP 
New Group! Hilton Head, SC-Irene Vouvalides Please contact Irene at 
