After his 14-year-old son, Perry, disappeared at sea in 2015, Phil experienced the kind of grief that shatters structure, certainty, and identity.
What followed was not a smooth progression through stages. It was survival mode, a nervous system on constant alert, and a man who appeared functional on the outside but felt broken inside.
Six years after the disappearance of his son, Phil delivered a TEDx Talk called “Transforming Grief” that changed his life and has now been viewed over 300,00 times.
Through years of study, lived experience, and work with hundreds of grieving individuals, Phil developed a practical framework for integration. Not moving on. Not getting over it. Integration.
He teaches that grief is not a weakness or a disorder to fix. It is a full system response involving mind, body, spirit, and identity. When people understand what is happening inside them, shame decreases and capacity expands.
