EP137: The grief nobody talks about: Abortion, trauma, and the emotions you're allowed to feel- Guest Shalina
In this episode, Sharna sits down with Shalina Lodhia, criminologist counsellor and founder of a trauma-informed practice specialising in intergenerational trauma, domestic and family violence, and abortion grief.
Shalina shares her own deeply personal experience of navigating abortion, twice, under very different life circumstances, and what she's learned about the grief that so often follows in silence.
This is a conversation about the emotions no one tells you it's okay to feel. The paradox of relief and loss. The isolation of having to hide an experience that your body is living through. And the complete absence of support that so many women encounter both during and after.
In this episode, Shalina and Sharna explore:
The emotional reality of having an abortion at 23, in hiding, with no support and no information about what comes after
How the experience shifted in her thirties as awareness, spirituality, and self-knowledge changed how she processed the grief
Why the medical system so often fails women in these moments, treating them as a number rather than a human being in distress
The paradox of conflicting emotions, relief, grief, guilt, peace, and why all of them are valid at the same time
The role of intergenerational trauma and why, for some women, the decision not to continue a pregnancy is an act of conscious cycle-breaking
How Shalina now supports other women through abortion grief, including those in abusive relationships navigating impossible choices
Why post-abortion support is one of the most overlooked gaps in women's healthcare in Australia
A message for anyone listening:
Whatever your reason for having an abortion, it is valid. You are allowed to feel every emotion, including ones that seem to contradict each other. You are not alone in this.
If this episode resonates with you, please share it with someone who might need to hear it. And if you're ready to talk to someone who gets it, Shalina's details are linked below.
Connect with Shalina Lodhia:
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/counsellorshalinalodhia/
- Instagram: counsellorshalina
- TikTok: counsellorshalina
- LinkedIn: @counsellorshalina
- YouTube: @SED8official (my musical channel, and a few of my old podcast episodes are there)
If you found this episode valuable, please leave a review on Apple Podcasts. It helps more women find these conversations when they need them most.
