Research & Impact
92% of Bereaved People Report Ongoing Bonds With Loved Ones
Speaking Thoughts Out Loud Can Support Emotional Processing
Rituals Can Help People Navigate Loss
Research has found that maintaining an ongoing connection with a deceased loved one is a common and healthy part of grief for many people.
Source: Klass, Silverman & Nickman, Continuing Bonds: New Understandings of Grief.
Research on emotional expression suggests that putting thoughts and feelings into words can help people process difficult experiences.
Source: Pennebaker, J.W. research on expressive disclosure and emotional processing.
Studies have shown that personal rituals can help individuals cope with grief and major life transitions.
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Source: Norton & Gino (Harvard Business School), research on rituals and coping with loss.
Grief Has No Timeline
1 in 11 children will experience the death of a parent or sibling before age 18.
The American Psychological Association notes that grief is highly individual and may continue throughout a person's life in different forms.
Source: American Psychological Association (APA).
The loss of a close family member during childhood can have a profound and lasting impact. This statistic highlights just how many children and families are navigating grief in our communities and underscores the importance of accessible spaces where people can remember loved ones, express their feelings, and find comfort.
Source: Judi's House/JAG Institute Childhood Bereavement Estimation Model (CBEM), 2023.
While Wind Phones themselves are a relatively new concept, research has shown that many of the practices they encourage—continuing bonds, remembrance, storytelling, and expressing thoughts and emotions—can play an important role in the grieving process.
In Their Own Words
Public thoughts, shared moments, and quiet reflections from people who have visited one of our Wind Phones.
"As someone who has
lost a child I think this is a great idea. Grief
never never leaves us."
"This is so beautiful. I would talk to my stepfather, who raised me. He was gone way too early."
"My boys used ittoday to talk to their dad."
"I need to go TODAY."
"Picking up that phone gave me a space to say out loud what I had been holding in my heart for two years. It was the first time I felt like I could breathe again."
 "I love this because my father in law was cremated. There is no grave to visit. I would love to talk to him about everything going on lately because I have a lot to tell him."