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Grief therapy
From CopperWiki
Grief therapy is mostly sought for relief from pain caused by the loss of someone dear. Grieving for loss of someone dear involves a whole process and recovery is not only slow, but emotionally painful as well.
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[edit] Why should I be aware of this?
The condition brought about by the loss of someone dear is beyond condolence. But we can make the grieving process less painful by trying to understand that loss and grief is a natural part of life. It helps to a great extent if we are patient and slowly learn to accept the loss.
[edit] How does this affect me?
The bereaved seeking grief therapy are not necessarily fully functioning persons. The grief may be caused by
- Death - Natural, suicide, accidental or violent
- Loss - something/someone precious taken away
The sense of bereavement or experience of the loss creates a vacuum which we struggle to fill. Emotions that follow are: grief, sadness, guilt, rejection, fear, anger, self-worth, hopelessness. Then there is the need to come to terms with grief through its different stages (numbness, shock, searching, 'why me!?', depression, loneliness, low mood, and recovery, acceptance, adjustment).
The entire process is painful enough even for a fully functioning person.
[edit] All about grief therapy
Grief therapy helps mourners go through the phases of grief (shock, denial, anger, depression, and acceptance). These therapies must be provided by professionally trained people, or through self-help groups where bereaved people help other bereaved people.
Through grief counseling the mourner learns to accept the loss by talking about his or her feelings and experiences and to make decisions about the imminent (or past) death. Grief therapy is also meant to help those who are close to the patient, such as family, close friends etc.
[edit] Group grief counseling
Taking part in some sort of group grief counseling can help the grieving process become more bearable. The very act of sharing the various fears and regrets can bring peace to the patient much more quickly than if they are left to struggle independent from a support network.
In such occasions most people are not ready to talk as it is too painful or frustrating. Friends and relatives don’t want to talk about it out of fear of saying something wrong. But if one person speaks something it gives others permission to share what they have been desperately needing or wanting to express. It is necessary to break the ice.
[edit] Benefits
The mourner is allowed to see that anger, guilt, or other negative or uncomfortable feelings can co-exist with more positive feelings about the person who died. In grief therapy provides the following benefits to the bereaved:
- Helps them develop the ability to experience, express, and adjust to painful grief-related changes.
- Show effective ways to cope with painful changes.
- Show that the mourner can still move on in life
- The mourner will be encouraged to stay healthy and keep functioning.
- Helps him to re-establish relationships and understand that others may have difficulty empathizing with the his grief
- Helps develop a healthy image of oneself and the world.
[edit] What can I do?
[edit] Denial, shock and anger
We don’t know how to react and the often repeated question is “Why me?” The grief can make us deny the reality of the loss. But we need to understand that this denial will gradually diminish as we express and share our feelings of pain and sorrow with our loved ones.
[edit] Be supportive
If your relative or friend is in a state of grieving, the best way to deal with the situation is to be supportive. But do not attempt to give encouragement and reassurance when a person is in a stage of grieving. It will not be helpful.
[edit] Empathize
It is very important is to empathize with each other and provide support to the ones affected. Even people who have witnessed the loss may be vulnerable to post-traumatic stress disorder. It's important not to let things take control over you and ensure that normalcy is unaffected. Discuss feelings such as loneliness, anger, and sadness honestly with friends and family members
[edit] Psycho-social support
Emotional anchor is the most important need for a person who has been bereaved. . So the first thing is to show the person that you really care for him and empower individuals by helping them to understand the situation. This can help them take control of their own situational responses and decision-making processes.
