Hi David, I was wondering if you had any thoughts on how one could help in a case like the following. A mom of 4 lost her own twin brother unexpectedly to cancer while she was going through a very nasty divorce. She managed to keep the children who are “her life” but works 2 jobs to keep themselves fed. She very lovingly cares for her children and always puts herself last which sometimes ends up in her sleeping very little. Sadly she has no support network since the family of her ex-husband makes up a big part of the rural community she lives in and they are still trying to take the kids away whenever she would show any debility. Her late brother was her best friend and major support. She is planning to move but the mere thought is still too overwhelming at the moment. Counseling sadly is not an option because it is very stigmatizing (in Germany; it would be judged as her being mentally ill) and it would start off another attempt of her ex’s family to take the children away from her. She is recognizing that her situation is not healthy and has to change. So far I have educated her about herbs to get over the stress of the current situation (adaptogens and a few more). However, she is asking for help what to do about “a hardened heart”. She describes that she hardened when she had no time to grief about the loss of her brother. She says she can’t feel anything, not even the love for her children. She knows she loves them with her mind but she does not feel it in her heart anymore. She speaks about a locked-up heart. She recognizes that it was/is unhealthy to not have grieved for her brother but is afraid that she would break down and wouldn’t be able to care for her children “if she let it out”. I know, as herbalists we cannot replace a psychologist but I was wondering if you had any thoughts on this. Maybe there are any specific herbs that could gently shift something? Apart from clearly disturbed shen I am intuitively thinking of stagnation because her situation is so stuck - but that’s just a gut feeling… Thank you so much, Annette

Prayer and personal ritual;, church (?), priest (?), nervines, calming adaptogens, aromatherapy, meditation, yoga, deep breathing exercises, walking on nature, physical activity, Bach Flower Remedies.