This radio documentary (July 2021) is about a small cottage in the Cooley Peninsula in County Louth in Ireland. The programme maker and owner of the cottage, Chris Nikkel, tells the story of his home that was once owned by renowned psychiatrist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross.
Ken Ross, Elisabeth’s son was the last person interviewed for the documentary, but it was actually the first interview Chris recorded that spoke most directly to our post-pandemic world. Nearly four months before that first lockdown, he sat down with Dr Mary Stefanazzi, a Psychotherapist who trained and worked with Elisabeth. During the interview she made an observation about the 5 Stages of Grief Model that seems prescient, now.
“Loss doesn’t just mean death,” Dr Stefanazzi said. “We feel a sense of loss all the time.”
And loss can be about anything. Loss of freedom. Loss of physical connection, Loss of routine. Every time we lose something, we grieve that loss—this is at the heart of Elisabeth Kübler-Ross’s work.
You can listen back to the programme HERE. Congratulations to the producer, Chris Nikkel, for winning a silver award for the Life and Living Lady at the 2022 New York Festivals Radio Awards.