Stages of Grief

Grief is a painful and provocative experience that, in my experience, no-one can prepare for.  Grief is primarily the experience that occurs when we lose someone to death but grief is also experienced through major life changes.  This is because we are faced with huge emotional and existential challenges about how we see ourselves, others and our world. However, losing someone to death is a particularly difficult emotion – we are reminded of the finality of our existence  and have to live with the real absence of the person we are grieving.

Whilst there are stages to the grief process, a person rarely works through them in a linear fashion.  Generally, the stages are Disbelief, Anger, Depression and Recovery.  Grief is further complicated by other losses which haven’t been properly processed.  It is as if grief becomes greater with every new loss, if earlier losses haven’t been worked through sufficiently.

Grief counselling is an invaluable part of healing – allowing the person left behind with an opportunity to process difficult thoughts and feelings.  Resolution is possible but not without working through hidden as well as obvious emotions the person is feeling.

Similar Posts:

• Losing a Loved One – Handling the Grief
• Stages of Grief
• Coping with Grief
• Loss and Disappointment in everyday life – how to overcome it.
• Anxiety and Depression – Reactions to Grief
• Michael Jackson – The grief of sudden death

What happens in a counselling session?