Teresa Reiniger | Am I Going Crazy or Is This Grief? Hearing or Sensing a Loved One After Loss

Have you ever forgotten a familiar word, sensed your loved one nearby, or cried unexpectedly and wondered, “Am I going crazy?” You are not alone, and in many cases, you are grieving.In this solo episode of Female Voices: Life & Loss, Teresa Reiniger explores the surprising ways grief can affect the brain, body, heart, and nervous system. Through compassionate stories and relatable everyday moments, Teresa explains why grieving people may struggle with memory, concentration, decision-making, exhaustion, emotional inconsistency, or the feeling that they heard, smelled, or sensed someone they lost.She also discusses why grief can surface in ordinary places, from the grocery store to a quiet self-care appointment, and why having a good day does not mean you are forgetting the person you love. Listeners will receive reassurance that grief does not follow a straight line, healing is not measured by the absence of tears, and joy is not a betrayal of love.Teresa Reiniger is a certified grief specialist, NLP master coach, life transition guide, founder of Living After Grief, and host of Female Voices: Life & Loss. She brings years of experience walking alongside women through grief, loss, identity changes, and life transitions.In This Episode● Why grief can affect memory, concentration, energy, and decision-making● Why people sometimes hear, smell, dream about, or sense someone they lost● How familiar routines remain wired into the brain after a loved one dies● Why ordinary questions, objects, songs, and places can activate grief● How the nervous system responds to loss, trauma, caregiving, and prolonged survival● Why laughter, joy, and new memories do not erase loveWhat You’ll Take Away● Forgetfulness does not automatically mean your mind is failing.● A difficult day does not erase your healing.● Grief and joy can exist together.● Your grief does not need to look like anyone else’s.● Self-compassion may help replace fear and shame.MEMORABLE QUOTESTeresa: “What if, instead of asking, ‘What’s wrong with me?’ you begin asking, ‘What has my heart been carrying?’”Teresa: “Understanding what’s happening doesn’t erase grief, but it often removes fear.”Teresa: “Your experience doesn’t need someone else’s permission to be meaningful.”Teresa: “That isn’t failure. That’s attachment. That’s love.”Teresa: “Joy is not betrayal. Healing is not forgetting.”Teresa: “There isn’t one right way to grieve. There’s only your way.”TIMESTAMPS01:01 — Am I Going Crazy—or Is This Grief?04:30 — The Experiences Grieving People Rarely Discuss09:00 — Why the Brain Keeps Searching for Them14:00 — When Grief Hides Inside Ordinary Moments19:00 — Grief Brain, Forgetfulness, and Mental Exhaustion24:00 — How the Nervous System Responds to Loss29:00 — Why Grief Can Feel Unpredictable34:00 — Healing Does Not Move in a Straight Line39:00 — Joy Is Not a Betrayal44:00 — When Years of Survival Affect the Body49:00 — There Is No One Right Way to Grieve54:00 — What Has Your Heart Been Carrying?💖 JOIN THE CONVERSATION📩 Email: [email protected]📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/femalevoiceslifeandloss/📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/femalevoiceslifelosspodcast/🎵 TikTok: @femalevoiceslifeloss🔔 Subscribe, share, and leave a review to help more women feel seen, supported, and less alone.💖 CONNECT WITH OUR HOST📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LivingAfterGrief📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/livingaftergrief/?hl=en🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@coachteresa5