What My Gallbladder Removal Taught Me About Grief, Anger, and the Body

There are moments in life when the body speaks so loudly, you can no longer ignore it.

Recently, I had to undergo emergency gallbladder removal surgery. Medically, it was explained simply: gallstones, discomfort, risk of escalation. Remove the organ, resolve the issue.

But as someone who lives at the intersection of the physical, emotional, and spiritual body… I knew there was more to listen to. Because the body never just “breaks.”It communicates.

The Physical + The Energetic = The Whole Person

The gallbladder is part of the digestive system. It stores bile and helps break down fats.

But energetically, it lives in the region of the solar plexus—the center of:

• Personal power

• Boundaries

• Decision-making

• And yes… anger

In many holistic traditions, the gallbladder is associated with stored, unprocessed anger and resentment.

Not explosive anger. Not rage. But the quiet kind. The kind we swallow to survive.

To cultivate this, we can start by:

Grief Lives in the Body

After losing my son Dasan, I often say: grief changes you on a cellular level.

This isn’t poetic. It’s physiological.

Grief impacts:

• The nervous system

• The liver and digestive function

• Hormonal balance

• Immune response

And for many mothers… especially those of us who continue showing up, holding others, leading, working…There isn’t always space to process the anger that lives inside the grief.

Because grief isn’t just sadness. It’s:

• Anger at what was lost

• Anger at what couldn’t be controlled

• Anger at life continuing

• Anger at having to be strong

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And when that anger has nowhere to go…The body finds somewhere to store it.

The Silent Load Many Women Carry

As women we are often conditioned to:

• Hold everything together

• Care for everyone else

• Suppress discomfort

• Keep moving forward

Even in devastation.

Especially in devastation.

So what happens to the emotions that don’t get expressed?

They don’t disappear.

They embed.

My Surgery Was Not Just Physical

Yes, my gallbladder needed to come out, and I am deeply grateful for modern medicine.

But I also recognize this as an invitation to look at what I’ve been carrying, and to release what my body no longer wants to hold. To deepen my own healing—again. Because healing is not a destination. It is a relationship.

What This Means for You

If you are navigating grief, trauma, or prolonged stress…I want you to hear this gently:

Your body is not betraying you. Your body is communicating with you. Symptoms are not just problems to fix. They are messages to understand.

Supporting Your Body Through Grief

Healing is not about doing everything perfectly.

It’s about creating space for:

• Emotional expression

• Nervous system regulation

• Gentle nourishment

• Honest self-inquiry

• Compassion for where you are

  
  

Sometimes that support looks like therapy.Sometimes it looks like rest.

And sometimes… it looks like being held in a space where your grief is truly seen.

An Invitation

This experience has deepened my commitment to the work I do through Eve of Wellness.

I don’t just offer skincare. I offer a holding container.

Space to:

• Process grief

• Reconnect to your body

• Release what you’ve been carrying

• Reclaim your energy and voice

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If you are feeling called to explore your healing more deeply, I offer:

Grief & Wellness Coaching

A personalized, intuitive approach to supporting you through:

• Loss and life transitions

• Emotional processing

• Nervous system support

• Spiritual connection

• Rebuilding after grief

This is not clinical. This is not surface-level. This is heart work.

My Beloveds

I am still healing.

Still learning. Still releasing.

And still walking this path alongside you.

May we continue to listen to our bodies. May we honor what they hold. May we find the courage to let it move through us.

Love and Light,

Yvette