Bereavement is described as a process we experience after the death of a loved one.
Grief can be defined as a reaction to a loss of a loved one but can be attributed to any major loss in our lives.
Emotions of Grief:
- sadness
- guilt
- anger
- It’s important to remember that each of us grieves differently. There is no set time frame or length of time for any of us experiencing the grieving process.
Category of Grief
- Initutive grief : which is the emotional piece that we expressed.
- Instrumental: We focus on other tasks in order to control our grief and limit expressing our emotions.
Complicated Grief
When the lost we experienced controls daily functioning for extended periods of time.
Symptoms:
- anger
- lack if interest
- feelings of emptiness
- pre-occupation with the deceased person
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross developed what is known as the 5 stages of grief.
- denial
- anger
- bargaining
- depression
- acceptance
In working with you on processing your grief my goals during the process of therapy are as follows:
- Working together to with you so you gain acceptance of the loss
- Work through the pain and grief
- Teaching you how to adjust to life without the deceased person
- Maintain a connection to the deceased while moving forward in life.