Loss of a loved one

This post is the first in a series of academic essays we will be publishing, written by members of the FTC team or network.

In this first piece, FTC founder Thoraya Alkasab explores her experiences around the time her sister Farah died in 2017.

Thoraya describes being called to an authentic life in the wake of Farah’s passing, and re-doubling her intentions as a therapist and provider of healing services to her community.

Themes in the piece include:

• How the death of another is a reminder of your own mortality and a powerful invitation to being more real.

• How facing up to the reality of death, and vis a vis our own inevitable passing, makes us feel more fully alive.

• How embracing your own life and living fully occurs naturally when you say goodbye to someone you love.

Influences include Heidegger, Stolorow, Camus as well as Biblical and religious stories.