This Hallowed Wilderness

Naila’s superpower is empathy. She feels the pain of others and somehow absorbs, heals and transforms it. I always came out of a grief session with greater strength and resilience than when I walked in. Naila has the complete toolbox of skills for this important work. She listens deeply, asks thoughtful questions, provides insight, practices reiki, gently suggests resources, and designs therapeutic activities that nourish soul and spirit. I could not recommend Naila’s services more highly for anyone experiencing any type of loss. She helps you find yourself again.

When a friend referred me to Naila Francis, I wasn't sure what kind of support I was looking for exactly - I only knew that I was struggling and seeking a different approach than traditional therapy (from which I had benefitted greatly, but felt I had hit a ceiling in its capacity to heal what needed healing in me). My friend told me "Naila is magic," and I too found those words to be true in my experience with her. Naila is a grief counselor, and grief going back to my childhood was certainly part of what needed tending in me. Naila is also trained in an earth-based spiritual wisdom tradition, and I found her creative spiritual guidance to be incredibly supportive and ultimately quite healing over time. Finally, Naila is also a Reiki practitioner, and I spent several sessions on her table, grateful for her gifts in this healing modality as well. Having been exposed to multiple Reiki practitioners across a range of skill levels, I can attest that Naila's talent with Reiki is legit and powerful. I worked with Naila for a stretch of ten sessions, approximately monthly, and from session to session we found our way through a path of discovery, creativity, and healing that got me to the other side of a very difficult and draining time. Thank you, Naila - I would recommend your care and service offering to anyone who is looking for a creative and spiritual approach beyond the mainstream of therapeutic modalities.

Naila Francis with This Hallowed Darkness is truly a light in the darkness and a comforting, fearless companion when you are in the darkest moments of grief or when the anger and sorrow takes over. I can’t recommend Naila’s services as a grief coach highly enough, if you have the opportunity to work with her, do it! She is a gift to this world, and she has turned her own loss into healing medicine for others and this world. I worked with Naila after losing my dad and mother-in-law within 12 months, and the grief felt utterly overwhelming. Naila helped me to listen to and hear myself and begin to meet my needs during a time of caring for so many others. She provided a judgment free weekly call, check ins and extra support around difficult holidays and anniversaries, and helpful writing prompts, mediations and visualizations, and the kindest normalization of grief. She taught me that grief isn’t something you “get over” but a continuation of the love you still have and can grow for your loved one who died. Naila is an absolute gem of a person who changed my life, and I wish everyone could work with Naila to tend to our collective and individual grief.

Naila helped me grieve not only the deaths of my husband and mother, but also deeply held childhood hurts that came up in the course of our therapeutic relationship. She was unfailingly gentle and always found a way to meet me where I was at each session. I am forever grateful to Naila and promise you she will be an awesome resource for anyone who has ever experienced a loss or is in the midst of experiencing one.

Naila has a true gift for creating sacred, open, and nonjudgemental space through her sessions and offerings. Naila met me where I was at with support that ranged from creative expression, ritual, and discussion. Through the ever-changing emotions that showed up through my grief, Naila was present and flexible as a compassionate witness. The insights she shared were exactly what I needed to integrate new wisdom and embodiment. Important to me was also Naila's validation of my complex grief. My sessions with Naila have transformed my life in beautiful ways that are still unfolding. There are not enough words to covey my deep appreciation. I most highly recommend Naila as a skilled and gifted healer and grief coach.