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Personal loss can change how we understand another person's experience.

Grief often appears during ordinary moments rather than major life events.

Listening to another person's story can deepen our understanding of our own loss.

Continuing bonds help explain why loved ones remain part of our lives after death.

Shortly after my mother died, I participated in a restorative justice circle. I have attended many circles over the years as part of my work in forensic psychology, and each one has reminded me that every person carries a story that is often invisible to others. Participants come together to talk about experiences that have affected their lives while everyone else listens with respect and without interruption. I arrived expecting to hear another meaningful discussion. I did not expect the experience to affect me personally.

One of the participants was a young man whom I will call Camilo to protect his privacy. When it was his turn to speak, he took a deep breath and said he wanted to talk about his mother. He described how difficult life had become after she died. He spoke about reaching for his phone because he wanted to call her, only to remember that she was no longer there. He talked about family gatherings that no longer felt the same and about moments when her absence became impossible to ignore.

As I listened, I realized that I was hearing his story differently than I would have only a few months earlier.

For most of my professional life, I have listened to people describe painful experiences. I have heard stories about violence, abuse, trauma, and loss. My training helped me........

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