Chapter 5

The Grieving Process

Types of Loss

Obvious Loss Death, theft, failure, injury, disability

Loss Due to Change Divorce, moving, change of school/teacher

Unnoticed Loss Graduation, marriage, birth of a child

Responding to Loss

Grief Deer and poignant distress, usually

accompanied by sorrow

Mourning A process by which people express their

grief after the death of a loved one

Victor Frankl, Nazi concentration camp survivor

When you find that it is your destiny to grieve and suffer, you will have to accept your

suffering as your single and unique task. You will have to acknowledge the fact that even in

suffering you are unique and alone in the universe. No one can relieve you of your grief

or suffer in your place. Your unique opportunity lies in the way in which you bear

your burden.

Psychological Reponses to Death

After death Sudden loss

Before a person dies Mourning as a person suffers The death may bring a sense of relief

The Nature of Grief

A price for living fully? For loving?

How to avoid grief? Die at a young age Never love or care for anyone

The nature of grief

A process rather than just a feeling a process of recognizing feelings and

dealing with themA mishmash of many feelings:

Sorrow, fear, anger, guilt etc.

Feelings of Grief Sorrow

deep distress, sadness, or regret

Fear Chart on page 69

Anger At the doctors, at the person who died, at

others, at himself or herself

Guilt If only I had done something different

grief does end

Bereavement The entire grieving process, especially

experienced by someone who has lost a loved one to death

Three major movements or phases

3 phases of grief

1. withdraw emotionally from society

2. Transition~beginning to cope

3. Acceptance ~take up their lives again

Advice for processing Grief

Feel your grief, don’t run away from it.Review the past in order to own it and

let it go. Envision your future. Visualize what it

might be. Return to your present anew. Enter fully

into the present moment.