Therapeutic Services

living end

We offer compassionate, evidence-based therapeutic care tailored to individuals facing the end of life due to chronic illness, as well as their loved ones struggling with grief, loss, and existential distress. 

living end 4 leaves therapy
living end emdr therapy

EMDR Therapy for Grief & Trauma

What to Expect

Duration:  60-90 minute sessions

Process: We’ll map out the most distressing memories—loss of a loved one, traumatic details of illness or death—and use bilateral stimulation (eye-movements or gentle tapping) to reprocess and desensitize them.

Clinical Focus: Target complicated grief reactions (e.g., intrusive “what-if” thoughts, nightmares, avoidance) and underlying trauma that can keep you “stuck” in pain, as well as reconnecting with lost loved ones.

Who It Helps

Adults overwhelmed by traumatic aspects of loss (accidents, sudden deaths, prolonged suffering).

Those whose grief keeps resurfacing as flashbacks, hyper-arousal, or persistent guilt.

Outcomes

Reduction in intrusive imagery and distressing physical sensations

Improved ability to remember loved ones without reliving the worst moments

Greater emotional regulation and capacity to re-engage in daily life

Sandplay Therapy for Nonverbal Grief Expression

What to Expect

Duration: 60-90 mins sessions

Process: In our private sand-room, you’ll choose miniatures (figures, natural elements, symbolic objects) to build scenes that reflect your internal world. Your therapist witnesses and gently explores emerging themes.

Clinical Focus: Give voice to grief that feels too deep or chaotic for words—especially helpful for those wrestling with shock, numbness, or a sense of “not knowing” what they feel.

Who It Helps

Adults drawn to creative, symbolic exploration rather than talk-only therapy

Survivors coping with anticipatory grief (e.g., supporting someone with terminal illness)

Outcomes

Access to unconscious material and emotions

Integration of fragmented grief into a cohesive narrative

New insights into relational dynamics and personal resilience

living end sandplay
living end ketamine

Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy for Grief & Existential Distress

What to Expect

Duartion: 90-180 minutes

Structure: Preparatory talk-therapy sessions →  Monitored ketamine sessions → Integration sessions

Process: Under clinical guidance,  ketamine creates a window for deep introspection. We gently steer your attention toward themes of meaning, connection, and acceptance by recruiting the inner healer.

Clinical Focus: Alleviate treatment-resistant depression, complicated grief, or the crushing “nothingness” that sometimes follows profound loss.

Who It Helps

Adults with persistent, severe grief that hasn’t improved with traditional counseling

Those experiencing existential despair—loss of purpose, overwhelming fear of death, or spiritual crisis

Outcomes

Breakthrough shifts in perspective (e.g., renewed sense of purpose, reconnection to values)

Rapid reduction in depressive or anxious symptoms

Enhanced capacity for hope, acceptance, and emotional openness

Hakomi Therapy for Mindful Healing

What to Expect

Duration: 60-minute sessions

Process: Integrates mindfulness and somatic awareness to gently uncover and transform core patterns influenced by grief. Through experiments involving mindful touch, movement, and inner exploration, you’ll safely access deep emotional experiences.

Clinical Focus: Address how grief manifests in body sensations, habitual reactions, and unconscious beliefs, fostering self-compassion and embodied integration.

Who It Helps

Individuals who sense grief is held physically—tension, pain, or emotional numbness

Those inclined toward experiential, mind-body approaches for healing

People seeking to cultivate present-moment awareness and self-compassion amidst loss

Outcomes

Greater awareness of how grief impacts mind and body

Release of trapped emotions and embodied tension

Enhanced self-compassion and a deeper sense of inner peace

Hakomi_yoga
living end existential

Existential & Spiritual Practices

What to Expect

Format:  60-90 -minute sessions

Process: Through mindfulness, chanting, gratitude and journaling, we explore and embody in real time the big questions: “What gives life meaning?” “How can I honor my grief as part of my path?”

Clinical Focus: Transform fear of death and loss into a catalyst for inner growth and deeper connection to self, others, and the transcendent.

Who It Helps

Anyone seeking to integrate grief into their life story with authenticity and purpose

Individuals drawn to non-judgmental, inquiry-based exploration of mortality

Outcomes

A personalized “meaning framework” to guide how you live and grieve

Practical spiritual practices (meditation, gratitude rituals) for daily resilience

A renewed sense of sacredness in ordinary moments

Group Workshops & Support Circles

Our small-group gatherings create a confidential, compassionate space for sharing, learning, and mutual support. We will work with individuals and families to identify a format that best fits your needs:

Meet & Grieve™
(Open-Circle)

Structure: Ongoing, drop-in format; meets monthly for 90 minutes.

Process: Each session begins with a grounding ritual, followed by open sharing—no set agenda, just whatever’s present for you in the moment. A facilitator holds space, offers gentle prompts as needed, and supports the group in listening deeply.

Who It Helps: Those seeking a consistent community to lean on, wherever they are in their grief journey.

Self Awareness
(Closed Circle)

Structure: Closed cohort of 6–8 people, 8 weekly sessions (90 minutes each).

Process: Using Eric Berne’s Transactional Analysis framework, we explore how our “ego-states” (Parent, Adult, Child) react to loss. Through guided exercises—role-plays, group transactions and reflective journaling—you’ll learn to recognize and shift unhelpful patterns (e.g., self-criticism, emotional shutdown) toward more supportive “Adult” responses.

Who It Helps: Individuals ready to deepen self-awareness, understand relational dynamics in their grief (with self and others), and practice new communication strategies for coping and connection.

Shared Outcomes Across All Circles

Reduced isolation and normalization of grief reactions

Practical coping tools: self-care plans, trigger mapping, memorial rituals

A community network that can extend beyond the formal sessions

living end group

These modalities provide individuals and families with the tools to navigate the emotional and psychological complexities of end-of-life experiences with grace, resilience, and dignity.

We Are Here To Help You Navigate End-of-Life Planning.

 

The Living End

1400 Quail Street, Suite 145, Newport Beach, CA 92660
714.581.3974
M-F: 10am - 6pm  |  Saturday: 10am-2pm
Available by appointment after hours