The Loss Of A Loved One

According to Hart (2012), those people who are suffering from grief often seek help from the health care professionals. This is important for the clinicians to identify and address their own experiences in the clinical settings. The main aim of this article is to explore the facts about grief, the common themes of grief and the different ways in which the patient process of the clinicians can be facilitated.

The life transition of death and dying is inevitably one with which we will all be faced; we will all experience the death of people we hold close throughout our lifetime. This paper will explore the different processes of grief including the bereavement, mourning, and sorrow individuals go through after losing someone to death. Bereavement is a period of adaptation following a life changing loss. This period encompasses mourning, which includes behaviors and rituals following a death, and the wide range of emotions that go with it. Sorrow is the state of ongoing sadness not overcome in the grieving process; though not pathological, persistent

Death is a universally experienced phenomenon. In the United States alone, over 2.6 million people die each year (Center for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2015). For practitioners, it is of utmost importance to better understand the process of grief to develop better interventions for bereaved individuals.

Grief and loss are one of the most universal human experiences, though painful, and understandably causes distress. However, approximately 15 % experience a more problematic grieving process with elevated symptoms of depression and/or posttraumatic stress symptoms (Bonanno and Kaltman, 1999).There is no well-established model of the timeline for resolution of grief and the variance of its expression is wide. Many persons cope with the emotional pain of bereavement without any formal intervention. However, individuals who have experienced traumatic bereavement, such as deaths that are sudden, violent, or due to human actions (Green 2000), may face particular challenges. Researchers have tried to define a model for the treatment of traumatic bereavement that fully supports not only the client, but also those working with the clients around their trauma

Complicated grief (CG) is a mental disorder characterised by intense emotions following the death of a loved one, severely and persistently impacting on daily life, compared to normal cases of bereavement (Solomon & Shear, 2015). Lichtenthal, Cruess and Prigerson’s (2004) review discusses the necessity of acknowledging and defining CG as a separate mental disorder. CG is not considered a mental disorder under the fifth edition of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5), but is within the category of ‘Disorders Requiring Further Study’ (Shear, Ghesquiere & Glickman, 2013). In Lichtenthal et al.’s (2004) review, CG is defined, and a distinction is made between normal and ‘complicated’ grief. A justification for the discriminant validity of CG is also made, by differentiating CG from other disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), major depressive disorder (MDD) and adjustment disorder (AD).

Bereaved individuals are at an extended chance of having mental and physical issues, and prevention and remedy of complicated grief is

Later, Prigerson et al. (1999) researched disordered grief and found a number of differences as related to anxiety and depression. Both Horowitz and Prigerson’s studies found similarities in that participants had prolonged longing for the deceased, extreme impairing thoughts about the deceased, extreme denial of the death and avoidance ( Boelen & Prigerson, 2007).

As important as it is for Gary to experience and work through the emotions associated with Chris’s death, I do not believe that this alone will be enough to help him work through his grief. Matthews and Marwit (2004) suggest that complicated grief is a pattern of non-normative behavior triggered by the loss of a loved one. The authors argue that complicated grief may resemble depression while often also including symptoms relating to separation distress and traumatic distress, illustrated by Gary’s feelings of loneliness and rumination over his relationship with Chris in addition to his anger, guilt, and social isolation. This article describes how, traditionally, it was thought that a bereaved person needed to go through “grief work” by confronting and processing emotions associated with the loss of a loved one. However, this confrontation of emotion may not be enough and recovery may also require addressing the cognitions of the bereaved person. In addition, the authors of this study suggest a dual-process model in which the bereaved person oscillates between confronting various types of stressors, then taking a break from those stressors. By utilizing EFT, Gary will essentially be doing grief work by experiencing the emotions associated with loss. Experiencing his feeling of guilt may trigger cognitions such

The need for this study find the best practices in which will assist the complicated grief interventions that fail to reduce stress for future clients. In past studies, uncomplicated grief was being broadly defined as a bereavement response with acute distress in the first 6 to 12 months which was not social, physical, occupational functioning. Today, the individuals who are experiencing uncomplicated grief are seeking services to receive effective interventions. The knowledge of this topic will be used for adults experiencing uncomplicated grief seeking recommendations for future interventions conducted in this study (MacKinnon, et al., 2016).

To begin, Buglass (2010, pp.44), defines grief as an intense human response to separation, bereavement, or loss which can include emotional, cognitive, behavioural, physical, social and even spiritual change. Despite considerable variation in the experience of grief, many individuals will

Grief is the act following the loss of a loved one. While grief and bereavement are normal occurrences, the grief process is a social construct of how someone should behave. The acceptable ways that people grieve change because of this construct. For a time it was not acceptable to grieve; today, however, it is seen as a necessary way to move on from death (Scheid, 2011).The grief process has been described as a multistage event, with each stage lasting for a suggested amount of time to be considered “normal” and reach resolution. The beginning stage of grief is the immediate shock, disbelief, and denial lasting from hours to weeks (Wambach, 1985). The middle stage is the acute mourning phase that can include somatic and emotional turmoil. This stage includes acknowledging the event and processing it on various levels, both mentally and physically. The final stage is a period of

The effects of grief are abundant and in many categories. They mostly influence people in three ways – physically, psychologically, and spiritually. It affects them greatly and it is hard to hide it. Some people try to deal with it on their own, some talk to a psychologist, and some simply turn to their loved ones. They all deal with it in different ways, but it is agreed that it shows. They may show a variety of different reactions like denial, anger, depression, or even acceptance. Getting over loss takes time. For some, it may take years. For some, maybe just a couple months. The

If these tasks are not completed, complicated mourning can ensue. If a loss is not properly mourned, either by lack of acknowledgement or lack of support, delayed grief may appear in that person later on in their life. Masked grief is revealed later in the person’s life when it was absent at the initial time of loss. It usually presents itself as a psychiatric or medical problem. Exaggerated grief is when normal grief escalates to a clinical level of depression or anxiety.

Elaborating on the differences between men, women and children in response to grief provided an eye-opening perspective. Also, taking into account past traumas, whether the loss is a result of illness or traumatic incident can exacerbate and prolong the grief process (Scalise, 2007). The presentation on Grief, Loss and Complicated Grief highlighted symptomology of grief (Scalise, 2007) Furthermore, Scalise (2007) broadens our understanding by defining how complicated grief parallels post-traumatic stress disorder. Scalise (2007) provided insight into how complicated grief affects brain chemistry.

Worden, J. (2009). Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy A Handbook for the Mental Health Practitioner. 4th ed. New York: