Treating Grief with Psychotherapy

GRIEF

Grief is the response to loss, loss of someone or something loved. There are many aspects to the grieving process – emotional, physical, cognitive, social, cultural, spiritual and philosophical. While the terms are often used interchangeably, bereavement refers to the state of loss, while grief is the reaction to that loss.

Many people experience grief through the death of a loved one, but individuals grieve in connection with a variety of losses throughout their lives, such as loss of work or position in the workplace, a significant relationship,  loss of home or country, ill-health, or other traumatic experiences.

While grief is studied and researched in order to come to an understanding of the subject, it is generally accepted that grief is a complex process. Each person has their own response to loss and how they deal with responding to that loss.

When people grieve for a loved one, many will react differently, for example, with sadness, feeling overwhelmed, with confusion, shock, and sometimes anger. The circumstances and time frame of loss is also important as the impact of a sudden loss is different to having time to prepare for the death or loss of a loved one.

Grief and bereavement, while a normal part of life, carries a degree of risk when severe or prolonged. In such cases or where the grief seems never-ending, it may be time to speak with a therapist to speak about the particular loss and the difficulty in recovering and resuming usual activities in life.