When Grief Becomes Song with Elaheh Roya: The Healing Power of Sound for Iranian Grief cover art

When Grief Becomes Song with Elaheh Roya: The Healing Power of Sound for Iranian Grief

When Grief Becomes Song with Elaheh Roya: The Healing Power of Sound for Iranian Grief

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In this episode of Halva for the Heart: Dying & Grieving in Diaspora, I'm joined by Iranian vocalist, sound practitioner, and grief alchemist Elaheh Roya for a deeply moving conversation about inherited grief, migration, family history, and the ways sound can carry us through what words cannot.Elaheh shares the story of growing up in Iran, discovering her family's hidden history of political imprisonment and execution, immigrating to the United States as a child, and living with the quiet ache of separation, exile, and ancestral grief. Together we explore what it means to inherit grief before we have language for it, how the body remembers what families cannot always speak aloud, and how creative practice can become a pathway toward healing.After the death of her father in 2024, Elaheh found herself returning to her voice, not to perform, but to grieve. Through chanting, Persian song, and the simple drone of the Shruti box, she discovered a form of sound practice that transformed both her relationship to grief and her understanding of spirituality.We also talk about:growing up with inherited political traumaimmigration, belonging, and diaspora griefcaring for a parent with dementiasurrender as a grief practicedreams, death, and spiritual awakeningwhy sound can reach places that language cannotAt the end of the episode, you'll hear Elaheh's beautiful rendition of the beloved Persian classic "Gol-e Sangam" that she released as a single earlier this year. Her latest album Grief Alchemy comes out June 30th.Connect with ElahehLinktree (offerings and events)Instagram: @medicinechantsTikTok: @elahehroyaBandcamp (download her music)🎁 Gift for Halva for the Heart listenersThe first three listeners to reach out through Elaheh's Linktree can receive a free 20-minute one-on-one Grief Alchemy session via Zoom🎶 Album Listening CeremonyJoin Elaheh's virtual listening ceremony on June 30 at 4:00 PM PT, where the full album will be played together online. Details are available on her Bandcamp.Resources shared by Elaheh:Tree Carr: Dream teacher and death doula whose work has deeply influenced Elaheh's pathChristine: Coach who supported Elaheh in building the foundation of her offeringsDance of the Blossoms: Elaheh's essay reflecting on her mother's experiences as a political prisonerMissing Mum: A memoir by Elaheh's brother, translated into English by Elaheh, sharing his experience as a child while their mother was imprisonedIf you'd like to share what this episode brought up for you...Leave me a 90 second voice noteMessage me on InstagramSend me an emailLearn more about my work at my website www.hafezdeathcare.comSubscribe to my weekly newsletter🎵 Theme song: 'Lullaby' by Iranian oud player Negâr Boubân
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