Surviving Sibling Loss with Grief and Meaning-Making: Allie / Oliver

The Broken Pack™: Stories of Adult Sibling Loss

Navigating the Challenges of Surviving Sibling Loss: Allie’s Journey with Grief and Meaning-Making
Sibling loss survivor, Allie’s brother, Oliver, died suddenly, which led to a reassessment of her family dynamics and the start of a non-profit organization to help families in need of headstones
Dr. Dean talks with Allie about surviving sibling loss, Oliver, changing family dynamics, and the impetus for her and her mom's meaning making process in the development of Oliver's Stones, a charity helping families in need to place beautiful headstones for their young adult family members.
To learn more about Oliver's stones, go to their webpage at https://oliversstones.com or their Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1592295951141490/.
Content Warning: The episode discusses sensitive topics related to substance use and addiction, including the death of a loved one due to a drug overdose. These topics can be upsetting for individuals who have experienced similar losses or who are struggling with addiction themselves.
If you believe you are witnessing an overdose, call 911 or your country’s emergency number immediately even if you are administering Narcan. If you are in the US and would like support for yourself or someone else with substance use, suicidal thoughts, or other topics discussed in this episode, please call SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357) or Text your 5-digit ZIP Code to 435748 (HELP4U) or call a warmline. For more immediate crisis call 911, 988, or go to the nearest emergency room.

In the USA an updated directory of warmlines by state can be found at https://warmline.org/warmdir.html

A warmline directory for trained peer supports in over 20 countries can be found at https://www.supportiv.com/tools/international-resources-crisis-and-warmlines (some of these may be hotlines)

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If you would like more information or to share your own adult sibling loss story, please contact me, Dr. Angela Dean, at [e-mail] or go to our website, thebrokenpack.com.
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Thank you!
Angela M. Dean, PsyD, FT
Credits:
The Broken Pack™ Podcast is produced by 27 Elephants Media
"If Tomorrow Starts Without Me" © ℗ 2023, 2024
Written by Joe Mylward and Brian Dean
Performed by Fuji Sounds (feat. MYLWD.)
Licensed for use by The Broken Pack™
Now available on all streaming platforms including Apple Music & Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/3vx3kk46

Chapters

1. Intro (00:00:00)

2. About Allie (00:01:25)

3. About Oliver (00:01:52)

4. Their Sibling Relationship (00:03:01)

5. Growing Up with Oliver (00:05:28)

6. About Substance Use (00:07:09)

7. Losing Oliver (00:08:30)

8. A Sister Making a Very Difficult Decision (00:13:07)

9. Being a Mom and Grieving (00:15:18)

10. Shutting Down (00:17:05)

11. What Allie Needed in Her Mourning (00:17:53)

12. Getting Difficult News and Grieving Again (00:18:52)

13. Oliver's Stones (00:26:48)

14. Realizing How Oliver's Death Impacted her Work (00:27:13)

15. Connecting with Her Mom about Sibling Loss (00:29:40)

16. 28 Years of Life Worth Talking About (00:31:04)

17. Allie's Favorite Memories with Oliver (00:33:44)

18. Family Dynamics (00:37:47)

19. Learning to Grieve Differently From Others (00:38:50)

20. More Favorite Memories (00:45:57)

21. Thoughts on Counseling and Psychiatry (00:47:10)

22. Outro (00:49:30)