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Chapman used positive psychology, life experience to create powerful resource for grieving mothers
HAMILTON, N.Y. – May 2, 2023 – One local mother has crafted a resource to help stillborn and miscarriage moms navigate their grief with love, mindfulness, and positive psychology. Vera Chapman of Hamilton – licensed professional counselor (LPC-MS; non-practicing), board certified coach, and USUI/Holy Fire (R) Reiki master – developed her Light in Loss Daily Healing Affirmation Cards as a way for grieving mothers to begin the healing journey.
The 31 positive psychology-based affirmation cards are rooted in Chapman’s personal experience with grieving their stillborn son, Hayes, born in 2021, as well as her professional background in psychology and wellness. Positive affirmations can train the brain to elicit kind and compassionate self-directed thoughts during times when they are especially needed, such as grief.
“I created these cards to help mothers who are struggling with perinatal grief to find light in the midst of their loss so they can move towards healing,” Chapman said.
Part of what led Chapman to developing these cards was the tremendous impact of not finding the support she needed from the medical professionals who handled her care during and after the traumatic delivery. She was diagnosed with postpartum post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a direct result.
“I carried so much regret, shame, and guilt from the experience,” Chapman said. “After being diagnosed with postpartum PTSD, I knew I needed to start my healing somewhere gentle – a top-down (mind-first) approach to nervous system regulation. So I started creating targeted affirmations that gently challenged my negative thinking while offering the compassion I was so often unable to give myself. That became the gateway to my own healing.”
The cards can act as a liferaft in the wake of trauma for women like Chapman. While developing the affirmations, she turned to several communities of women who understand the grief journey firsthand in order to narrow them down to the 31 most impactful messages.
“The cards are so lovely,” Brigid Boyle of Syracuse (GCC, PMHC), perinatal & infant loss grief counselor, said. “They carry perfect messages – so consistent with the way I approach this particular kind of grief both in my life and in my work.”
Chapman plans to place the cards in hospitals and other places that support women through delivery and perinatal loss throughout the country, making them readily accessible to those who need them most – starting in Central New York. She featured illustrations of diverse women on the cards because stillbirth and miscarriage do not discriminate based on race or ethnicity. She also offers an option for anyone to “donate” card decks from her Shopify store. People can choose an organization to donate to, or opt for Chapman to choose the benefiting establishment if they do not have a specific one in mind.
She hopes the cards will be a reminder to women that they are not alone in their experience.
“I was the first to heal from the words on these cards,” Chapman said. “I am beyond honored to share them with women like me who are trying to find their way through the darkest of times, and I believe it is a beautiful first step to begin their healing process – one card at a time.”
Vera is a Reiki Master Teacher and Energy Coach who helps women identify, clear, and heal blocked energy so they can move through grief and trauma, and become joyfully present in their lives again. She is a Board Certified Coach, Certified Sound Healer, Certified Yoga Teacher, and proud mama of two living children and one in the stars. She holds a Masters Degree in Counseling and a Ph.D in Education. She has healed from deep grief and sexual trauma using the modalities she now teaches, and has authored a children’s book and healing affirmation cards to support grieving women and their families. Most importantly, she’s on a mission to make energy healing accessible to everyone.
