Healing Grief Through Music - by Judy Unger

COURSE

Healing Grief Through Music

With Judy Unger

If you’re grieving, this 10-day course is designed to uplift you with understanding, comfort and most importantly, hope. Grief can be a lonely journey. This course will give you a chance to connect with others who are grieving, giving you a supportive space to be heard. With each lesson for this course, one of my songs related to healing will be shared with you. The course begins with songs expressing shock and anguish, resonant of the beginning of any grief journey, before transitioning to songs of love, courage and the celebration of healing. This course provides insight into my personal journey of grief. Please join me as I lend you comfort and healing through stories and songs.


Meet your Teacher

Judy is a passionate songwriter with a vast collection of songs that can be seen as a musical of her life. Judy studied classical guitar in college, inspiring a wealth of enthusiasm towards the creation of music. When Judy's first-born son Jason, died, she coped with grief by focusing on her career as an artist and on her family. In 2010, at the age of fifty, she opened her heart to share the deeply painful experience of losing Jason. Writing the story of his brief life transformed her, and the grief she still carried was lifted. Judy began playing guitar again and discovered that music brought her immense joy. Her inspirational story named “Beside Me Always” is available as a paperback and audiobook on Amazon and iTunes. Many of her songs are dedicated to Jason and her comforting meditation music on Insight Timer has touched many people. Judy was also a chapter leader in the grief organization Compassionate Friends. It is her main wish to offer comfort and inspire hope and healing with the music that brought joy back into her life.

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10 Days

5.3k students

4.5 stars

17 min / day

Grief

English


Lesson 1

So Real

The beginning of any grief journey begins with shock and numbness. I remember how unbearable it was to wake up and face a new reality after my son died. My song “So Real” is about dreading to wake up and wishing dreams were real. Expressing my grief and finding other people who understood my pain helped me throughout my journey. Today's lesson is an introduction to 10 days of a comforting, healing and supportive journey through grief.

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Lesson 2

Every Season

“Every Season” was my very first song composition after rediscovering music again later in my life. My lyrics describe poignant memories of sadness, that I experienced with every passing season after my son’s death. Today's lesson points to the possibility of hope and healing, where I encourage you to open your heart and reach out to others. We are never completely alone and this lesson aims to act as a reminder of this.

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Lesson 3

Beside Me Always

“Beside Me Always” was a song I wrote at the age of 17, describing the feeling of being surrounded and comforted by a breeze. When my son died, I rewrote the lyrics so I could read them at his funeral. After I found healing, I was able to look back and see signs that he was with me throughout my grief journey. In today's lesson, I share an important and therapeutic hypnotherapy technique that draws on the commonly held notion that “thoughts equal feelings.” This technique will help us learn how to reframe sad thoughts by changing the stories related to them.

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Lesson 4

Hang On

I composed “Hang On” to share my optimism of hope, healing, and happiness. Although the song begins with despair, it transitions into a call for magnificent hope. Though my song was dedicated to helping others, the true miracle was how much it helped me while I was going through a very difficult time. Like so many of my songs, “Hang On” emphasizes how love can “lift you up.” In today's lesson we learn that love is the key to healing. I will read a story titled “There was hope for me,” which helps to illuminate the stages of grief and how to best navigate them.

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Lesson 5

Set You Free

The title and lyrics to my song “Set You Free” imply that I’m setting someone else free. But, although “Set You Free” expressed my struggle with letting go of what I loved, it was ultimately about setting myself free. During this lesson, I will explain how I coped with anticipatory grief, as this song was written during the time my father was dying. We will touch on ways to gently make our way through the grieving process, in which, I share a story about an important hypnotherapy session that showed me that the suppression of tears wasn’t helpful for my ability to heal. I will continue to emphasize how I am grateful for the full range of feelings I have now and that I am certain my love ones’ essences will never leave me. Pure love remains forever.

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Lesson 6

It's Not Forever

I composed my song “It’s Not Forever” to uplift a grieving friend. Many bereaved people feel that grief is forever. I remember how I felt like my suffering from grief would never end. In today's lesson, I share a long list of words people used to describe their grief. Forever was the word most often listed. Today's lesson is about learning that suffering is not forever and that love will sustain us through the toughest times in life. Love will uplift you in times of discouragement and hopelessness. In fact, suffering with grief can be seen to prompt the emergence of the deepest depths of our love. Together, we will learn to will cultivate a deep love that will allow us to bring joy back into our life.

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Lesson 7

Somewhere I Can't See

This lesson incorporates the song “Somewhere I Can’t See,” which begins with a metaphorical story relating the experience of grief to a forest fire. In this lesson, I will address the 'angry' stage of grief before sharing my belief that love can soothe this pain, anger, and anguish. Today's lesson touches on the powerful hypnotherapy tenant: “the more you look for something the more likely you will find it.”

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Lesson 8

Clear

My song “Clear” emphasises the importance of actively choosing to turn your life around. It suggests that finding clarity will allow you to overcome the fear of changing your life. During the time I wrote “Clear,” I lived with chronic pain from dry eyes. I learned that I could cope with physical pain in the same way I coped with my grief. In today's lesson, I share some of my fears and how clarity helped me to overcome them. I encourage you to identify your own fears and find clarity, as it’s never too late to change your life.

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Lesson 9

My Shining Star

“My Shining Star” reinforces many of the concepts we've previously covered. My 'shining star' is a wonderful metaphor of finding light within darkness. Darkness represents grief, despair, confusion and feeling lost. Light can be a beacon of hope, clarity and illumination. My song was inspired by a poem I wrote not long after my mother died, which helped me cope with my grief. Hearing positive words that our loved one would tell us is very comforting during grief. In today's practice, we learn to give ourselves permission to let go of our grief.

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Lesson 10

The Key

For the final lesson, I’ve chosen my most recent song composition “The Key” because it best represents my healing from grief. I see grief as a journey and have great empathy for anyone suffering on this lonely path. During this lesson, I have a dialog with a woman who is deeply suffering and wanted me to explain more about my beliefs surrounding love and healing. Today, I’ll share these beliefs with you, and together, we will find the key to setting ourselves free from grief. This key lies within our grasp. Our loved one is holding it for us.

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Ask your teacher

This course includes 77 community questions and 6 audio replies from Judy Unger. The community classroom and teacher audio replies are only available via the app.

77

4.5 (79)

Recent Reviews

Juany

Juany

June 10, 2025

thank you very much 🙏 dear Judi i just finished the course, and what i understood personally I'm on the way of hilling i don't feel angry anymore , im investing time and energy in the thing i love specially family gardening 🩵🙏🩵 i still go to my group therapy, and find myself sad sometimes but I'm smiling again,i need it a little boost and i think I got from this course, Muchas gracias!!! 💐

Linda

December 24, 2023

So helpful.

Senga

Senga

June 15, 2023

Thank you from the bottom of my heart, Judy. Your words have been so helpful, healing and comforting as I am sure they will be to anyone going through grief. I know I will be returning to your course. You are an inspiration. Love and peace, 💖🕊🙏

Robin

Robin

February 5, 2023

As positive as this course was I was looking for something geared more towards me. This felt more like you telling your story and needing us to accept it and feel FOR you. I’m sorry for your loss and appreciate your grief. But this is not a course in helping others to face ours. In my humble opinion. Namaste 🙏

Cathy

Cathy

March 10, 2022

Thank you Judy, your lessons gave me so much comfort after my mom passed away. Your words are so wise and your songs and lyrics so beautiful. Thank you for sharing your insights.

Kathleen

Kathleen

October 12, 2021

This course was difficult for me to listen to. My grief came from losing everything in a total house fire. There didn’t seem to be much space for me here. I also had a difficult time relating to the “grace” section as I’m not sure Buddhists have a similar concept. I appreciated the hopefulness at the end. I’m imagining the beautiful reef (saltwater) fish 🐟 tank I lost and my fish - who would meditate with me - bringing my “key” to unlock the prison door. Peace.

Jay

June 21, 2021

Sig

May 17, 2021

Helpful, it reflected my feelings and gave me tips. Great reflection with the question at the end of each day.

leo

leo

April 23, 2021

Thank you so much 😊🙏

Mary

Mary

April 10, 2021

Thank you, extremely helpful for me to help heal after experiencing the very sudden and unexpected loss of my mom very recently. 🙏🏼❤️

🌬Belle🥀

🌬Belle🥀

October 26, 2020

absolutely loved your course. I feel like this was my time to finally learn how to start to heal properly. Thank you for creating such an amazing course and for the continuous support throughout the course.

Melissa

Melissa

July 17, 2020

This was wonderful thank you!

Arpit

Arpit

May 29, 2020

Hi Judy, sometimes just two words: Thank you , are just two short to express hope , peace and a trust to know healing is possible. Like you shared in course, there are no words wide which a person in grief can be consoled, so I shall encourage each and every person listening patiently to end of this course to help another noble grieving soul for their own recovery. If there are beautiful places in people's hearts and beyond this universe, those spaces are reserved for courageous and amazing souls as you, Judy.

Asher

Asher

May 10, 2020

thank you!!!

Meera

January 6, 2020

Sari

November 25, 2019

I lost my Mom recently. We were joined at the heart. Though I appreciate the gift of what is being shared in these sessions, the delivery wasn’t for me personally. I’m sure it will hold great value for others grieving, but it felt sappy to me. Still, I recognize the value in the message.

Miranda

Miranda

November 16, 2019

Your course has been a great support whilst having to deal with the death of my father, thank you 💖

Chris

Chris

September 5, 2019

This was very helpful for me to hear about how you have coped with such tragic losses in your life. My heart goes out to you! My sister list her 25 year old daughter over 10 years ago and it has been so sad for our whole family. Her grief was immeasurable and I did all I could to support her. Then 5 years later we had to deal with both our parents decline physically and with dementia. They have both passed away and the hole in our hearts is so much bigger, but we know they are released from their pain so that is a solace. This October will be the first year both my parents are no longer living and it just seems so strange. My heart is still heavy so I felt the need to find some help, and friends suggested finding a grief support group. I found one that starts next month but until then, I looked for something else and your course came to my attention. I appreciate your willingness to share your journey and thank you for your help along my way down this sad path. I find music helps me, too, and I often turn to my harp when the sadness overcomes me. Dealing with the death of family members is so difficult and sad. I often think of it as a club I never wanted to belong to, but through it all I have found a deeper appreciation of life that I would not have understood any other way. But one question does still nag at me- I do see light at the end of this dark tunnel, but wonder- will I feel guilty when my grief is lifted, that I go on living my life while others do not? I hope that I can find a way to live more for them instead of just without them. Any help down this path is appreciated!

Kim

Kim

August 21, 2019

Thankful I have been able to listen to these insights, as I walk thru the woods. Xo

Lila⚘🕊

Lila⚘🕊

August 18, 2019

Thank you for sharing your journey with the world and for your sweet honesty. I will certainly use the advice from "The Key" day in the future. Take care.

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