I had a thought about something that I haven't heard presented in just the way that I'm suggesting here.  I'll call it "Adulting" to refer to the space around being a parent or having a parent and the experiences and interactions therewith.

To steal a term from the documentary Surviving Home that we saw at the High Falls women's Film Festival, Adulting involves changing one's identity in an effort to navigate the experience that will eventually be new to anyone who has children or anyone who is or was a child.  In other words, anyone of us who has difficulty with the parent / child relationship. Basically, Adulting is the transition into and the experience of interacting with our offspring who are now adults or interacting as an adult with our parents.

Adulting - practical exercise 1
Write a letter to yourself as though from your child but a letter that you would LIKE TO RECEIVE from that child.  Omit criticism, judgement and any other potentially unpleasant or "parenting" discourse.

Adulting - practical exercise 2
Write a letter to yourself as though from you to your child as a reply to the first letter but a letter that you would LIKE YOUR CHILD TO RECEIVE from you.  Again, omit criticism, judgement and any other potentially unpleasant or "child-to-parent" discourse.

Side thought...
Massage is good for our well-being even though a deep massage might, at least temporarily, be uncomfortable.
How about massaging your emotions by doing things that perhaps you've been intentionally, or possibly unintentionally, avoiding that you associate with a particular person whom you dearly miss?