In light of the recent shootings in Las Vegas, I am struck by how people are capable of extreme evil and yet, at the same time others capable of extreme goodness. Currently, there are 59 people reported killed and over 500 reported as injured. I cannot begin to imagine the heartache of family members and loved ones of those killed and for those critically hurt or injured. For others who were present at the event, the shock and trauma of gunfire and bloodshed is difficult to understand let alone process.

As the event has unfolded, I am amazed at the number of people rising up to offer help and support. During Hurricane Harvey it was the highway lined with trucks pulling boats headed to the heart of the flooding to aid in the rescue efforts. Now, during the Las Vegas shooting, it is hundreds of volunteers, from pastors, to grief specialists, to nurses, doctors and hospitals all contributing their time and energy to help those in need.

I have a personal friend who is also a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist® who is there in Las Vegas serving, alongside hundreds of other volunteers.

There are also heroes, such as Sonny Melton – a nurse from Tennessee- who died shielding his wife from the bullets raining down on them.

Or Mike Cron, a retired teacher from Alaska, who used his pickup truck as a makeshift ambulance to transport those wounded in the shooting.

Still, the immense amount of grief felt by so many can seem overwhelming. Below are words written from the Grief Recovery Institute, along with resources to help you or anyone else who is trying to process the pain during this difficult time.

On behalf of everyone at the Grief Recovery Institute, and our thousands of Grief Recovery Method Specialist’s worldwide, we extend our thoughts, prayers and love to everyone impacted by the heartbreaking mass shooting in Las Vegas, NV.

We know that loss and grief are about all of the normal and natural human emotions caused when everything familiar changes. Even if we don’t personally know those who died, or were injured, events such as this still impact us all on an emotional level. As members of the human race, we feel for the victims and those struggling to understand the conflicting feelings and emotions surrounding what has happened; our hearts ache for the pain experienced by others. It’s normal to experience grief ourselves as we reflect upon what the victims and their families are going through, or we wonder what it would be like to go through something similar. Our view of the world, our nation and our community is impacted…we feel a loss of safety and security. We grieve.

As people grieve for what has happened, we want to express and extend our love and support. We also know that people, when they are grieving, tend to isolate themselves, to feel very much alone and afraid for many reasons.
We want people to know, you to know, that you are never alone in your pain.

For 40 years, the Grief Recovery Method has helped millions of grieving people to heal their broken hearts after a loss. Over the decades, the Institute has been a resource for information on the topic of grief and loss, to help and aid grievers, and support relief efforts after a tragedy, such as 9/11, Katrina and other devatating events. The Grief Recovery Institute is here to help, as are our network of Specialists. We already have Grief Recovery Specialists responding in Las Vegas; the Institute is offering to be a resource to you and others as well.

Our website offers a wide range of searchable information on grief, grieving, and topics to understand the emotional reaction to loss, such as the loss of safety and security being felt. We also offer several free eBooks on grief, in addition to our library of articles. Lastly, we have a Specialist locator for identifying Grief Recovery Specialists throughout the world, in addition to the Institute offering whatever help we can to your efforts to provide valuable and helpful information to those you serve.

If I can be of any assistance to you, or you would like any information to aid your efforts to help others, please don’t hesitate to contact the Grief Recovery Institute or me. If you feel this information would be helpful to your friends and family, please forward this email to them and encourage them to share as well.