Grief is a natural reaction. It is not considered a pathology. Grief however can become pathological and complicated. Extreme trauma can be an ingredient to possibly cause complicated and traumatic grief. These types of grief can emerge later and cause long term problems.
Traumatic grief is unexpected and is beyond basic mourning but deals with complicated survival reactions. Please also review our Grief Counseling Program
Grief hence has the ability to become complicated due to the nature of the loss, the nature of the person grieving and surrounding circumstances.
The article, “Grief vs. Traumatic Grief” by “Odelya Gertel Kraybill Ph.D.” looks at how unexpected loss can contribute to traumatic grief. She states,
“Traumatic grief, that is, the grief that accompanies loss that is unexpected, is different. Such a loss triggers post-trauma survival mechanisms in addition to the mourning of whatever was unexpectedly lost.”
After a miscarriage so many emotions can erupt. For some relief but with that relief possibly guilt. Some may also mourn the loss and feel extreme sadness and anger. These emotions are natural with such a close loss to one’s self. Miscarriage loss is something that is many times swept to the side but is indeed a big loss with multiple emotions that can interact in strange ways.
Miscarriage is a big loss for many women. Numerous emotions surround it. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification
The article, “After a Miscarriage, Grief, Anger, Envy, Relief and Guilt” by Jessica Grose stated,
“October is pregnancy and infant loss awareness month, and if your family has experienced any kind of loss, we are here for you. Miscarriage is common — as many as 15 percent of known pregnancies end in a first-trimester loss.”
Dealing with grief especially after the loss of a child in womb or out is a difficult thing to deal with. Sometimes grief counseling is needed to help others overcome these type of miscarriage losses. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification
Grief not only affects our brain and mind but also affects our body. Grief overtime can cause physical conditions and increase stress induced diseases. This is why it is so important to deal with grief effectively to prevent long term complications.
Grief can have multiple negative effects on the body. Please also review our Grief Counseling Training Program
The article, “9 Physical Symptoms Of Grief You Should Know” by JR Thorpe states,
“Grief can be a thoroughly flattening experience. You don’t feel like getting out of bed, you cry all the time, and you can’t foresee a time when you’ll feel better. However, while the psychological effects of grief can be devastating, the physical symptoms of grief can be just as powerful, and you may not be prepared for them.”
Grief definitely can negatively affect one’s physical health so it is critical to deal with grief in a healthy fashion. Please also review AIHCP’s Grief Counseling Training Program
Grief is pivotal, central and important emotion in human life. It is forever tied to the fallen human condition and deeply connected to the emotion of love. Grief is more than just a sentient emotion but an emotion felt in many animals as well. Hence grief is beyond intellect but also instinctive and evolutionary.
Individuals do consciously grieve and understand the loss but grief also is a natural reaction to loss at the most simple level. Grief as a formula is simply put love plus loss equals grief. Love is a binding emotion. Love ties one to another person or thing. Through value of the possessed and habit of possessing, anything that removes that love or thing causes discomfort. This discomfort is grief.
Grief is a healthy and natural reaction to loss. It helps one adjust to loss and adjust to the change that comes with losing something or someone we love
The grief reaction to loss varies and is correlated to the value of the loved person or thing. If something has little value, then the loss is inconsequential. If something or someone has great value in in one’s life, then the loss is very consequential. Some losses can be small and insignificant while other losses can be life altering. The greater the loss, the greater the grief.
The loss may be objective or subjective in value according to the person. Someone who was raised by his or her grandparents will grieve the loss of a grandparent more than someone who only saw his or her grandparents once a year. Loss can also be subjective in that is may seem odd to others. For example, some may find it extremely odd to mourn the loss of a pet, while pet owners would disagree completely. Again the subjective value is key in understanding the loss reaction.
While grief in many ways is abides by universal standards and reactions, one must also realize that the reactions within this wide norm differs extremely. So while grief is universal it is still unique.
Grief as stated is not only a conscious pain but also a unconscious reaction. The grave importance of grief is to help the person or animal adjust to the loss. The adjustment process is a long mourning period where one learns how to cope without the person or thing. Most non complicated grief reactions to significant loss lasts six months to a year before it becomes labeled as pathological or complicated. This does not guarantee that grief goes away within a set time, but it does illustrate that new coping strategies are incorporated into the person’s life to better deal with the loss on a day to day basis.
Grief allows one’s mental self to heal. It permits the body to mourn and adjust to loss. Long ago this natural adjustment and self healing was considered a pathology in itself but psychology now teaches that grief is an important transitional ingredient in healing. It should not be dismissed or rejected but fully accepted as a normal and healthy reaction to loss. Seeing grief as something bad or unhealthy is a dangerous view to hold. Grief instead is the body reacting to loss and learning to adjust to that loss in a more healthy way. Complete adjustment is a simple lie. This is the price of love. Anything worth loving is never worth forgetting or missing but grieving allows our mind to heal and learn to exist differently.
Grief hence has a very important function in healing but grief is also a social sign to others. In animals especially, signs of grief permits other members of the community to help the grieving animal to recover. The same social signs of grief, tears, crying and emotional withdraw signify to family and friends that one needs help. Grieving hence serves a signal to the community to help those who are sad or depressed. It is a social subconscious distress symbol to family and friends.
Grief because of this is not something bad. Losing something or someone is bad but the reaction to it is not bad. If there was no reaction to loss, then one would be merely a non sentient creature merely existing from meal to meal. Instead, the reaction to loss not only serves as a healthy reaction to loss that leads to recovery, but it is also a sentient reaction to something or someone that was very special.
It allows one to heal and alert others of distress but it forever reminds one the value of what was lost. It never allows one to forget the beloved and the love that was shared. This grief becomes part of who we are the moment we enter into love or deep communion with another human being. If one did not grieve, then what value is that relationship? Grieving is important in identifying what mattered most and not allowing what mattered most to be ever forgotten.
Grieving in its later stages, pushes individuals to healthy coping measures where acute depression is replaced with action. Memoralizing and living a certain way in honor of the beloved becomes healthy and conducive expressions of grief. In national losses, social action for better laws or prevention of future loss are a result of healthy coping produced through grief. Grief hence is an important emotion in being human and living a healthy human life.
Avoiding grief can lead to complications. We need to accept grief and realize it is price of love. Please also review our Grief Counselor Program
Suffering and loss are products of an imperfect world. Those of faith pray and hope that the next world will have no suffering and loss. They pray that grief will only be a necessary emotion in the temporal world and not the after life. In this, those of faith can cope even better than those of no faith. The reality regardless of faith though is that one must escape and embrace grief while in this world if they wish to cope and live a healthy life.
Certified grief counselors can help individuals cope with grief and embrace it a healthy way. Change is never an easy thing but through help, one can utilize grief to better adjust and adapt to loss. The American Academy of Grief Counseling offers a comprehensive program in Grief Counseling. Certified grief counselors learn the basics of grieving and are trained to help others. Beyond the basic Grief Counseling certification, members and qualified professionals can also specialize in Child and Adolescent Grief Counseling, Pet Loss Grief Support, and Christian Grief Counseling.
The programs are online and independent study. After completion of the online program, one can become certified for four years. If you are interested in learning more about the American Academy of Grief Counseling’s certification program then please review the program and see if it matches your academic and professional goals. Once certified as a Grief Counselor, you can then become able to help others face grief in a healthy and natural way.
Losing a child is the greatest loss a parent can face. How the child dies can make the loss even more unbearable. The loss of a child through suicide is even a greater loss. Many parents need emotional and professional support in dealing with such a loss.
The loss of a child through suicide may be one of the most painful losses. Please also review our Grief Counseling Training
The article, “How do you live after your child commits suicide & you never saw it coming? A grieving parent reflects” by Linda Collins explores this painful grief. She recounts from a book about such sad tales.
“Victoria was their only child. Three years after the incident occurred, Collins recounts her 17-year-old daughter’s suicide in this book, weaving in her daughter’s diary entries, personal memories and accounts from the people in her life.”
The article offers an excellent book for others to investigate and read. If you would like to read the entire article, please click here
Please also review our Grief Counseling Training and see if it meets your academic and professional needs.
Grief is more about just physical loss but also the thought of loss itself. When someone is diagnosed with an illness or disease that is terminal, one has yet to lose but acknowledges that loss will come. This type of anticipatory grief is very common with family who live with terminal diagnosis of a loved one. Parents can also live with this type of loss when a child is diagnosed with a disease, terminal or not. They have to live with the new reality imposed by the disease or the potential future of loss. This can create an uneasy existence of hope and loss existing side by side.
Sometimes while anticipating loss, we still must enjoy the present. Please also review our Grief Counseling Program
Living and dealing with grief with hope and love is a difficult thing to do but sometimes it is the best thing to do even if darker days lay ahead. One cannot deny the future, but one can definitely love the present. Please also review our Grief Counseling Program
Grief that is not processed or acknowledged can cause long term mental issues. Complications in grief are due to not facing grief and processing the loss in a healthy fashion. When we purposely ignore our feelings due to loss, we open ourselves to greater damage down the road. Grief is part of healing and is essential to adjusting to the loss in a healthy fashion. If we do not grieve, we will suffer more. Acknowledging grief is an essential ingredient to recovery.
One must accept the grief associated with their journey in life. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic goals
One cannot dismiss emotion due to shame or fear of weakness, but realize that anything worth love is also worth grieving over.
The article, “The Grief We Avoid Is The Grief That We Need” by LaLaine Dawn looks at how grief is important and essential to the very reality of living. She states,
“A lot of us are so afraid to admit we are grieving for fear that people may see us as weak or stupid for feeling that way. Honestly, I can’t blame you. In my experience, there were people in my life who would laugh at my grief. They would tell me I deserved to suffer.”
Grief is hence an important element of the human condition. It cannot be ignored but must be acknowledged and dealt with. To learn more, please review our Grief Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic and professional goals.
Great article on grief and how it can affect sleep. Sleep is important to recovery from anything and sometimes loss can take such an affect on someone that sleep can be negatively affected. Whether nightmares or insomnia, it is important to find help in dealing with grief when sleep is deprived.
Sleep is key to good health. Grief can disrupt sleep and health. Please also review our Grief Counseling Program
The article, “Sleeping After Loss: Understanding the Effects of Grief on Sleep” by Sleep Adviser offers a comprehensive information chart on grief and sleep. The article looks at the danger of lack of sleep and ways to regain sleep while dealing with grief. The article states,
“Losing sleep might be a normal thing that everyone goes through from time to time, especially in times of great distress or sadness, but that doesn’t diminish the terrible impact it can have on the body.”
Divorce naturally creates loss and grief. Grief is a natural bi product of divorce and adjusting to this type of loss can take years. While numerous stresses can occur, some divorces can create complicated grief reactions. In these cases, extra help and counseling is needed.
Divorce always leads to some type of grief. Sometimes it can more serious than other times. Please also review our Grief Counseling Training Program
The article, “Grieving After Divorce Is Normal, But This Kind Of Grief Isn’t” by Karen Finn discusses when grief and divorce can go terribly wrong. The article states,
“After all, divorce is the end of a way of life and of your dreams. It makes sense that you’d feel sad about it, mourn who you were in your married life and are no more, and be grief-stricken that all of your plans for a happily-ever-after have come to a screeching halt.”
To learn more about divorce and how to help individuals through it, review the entire article by clicking here
Divorce is never easy. A trained Grief Counselor can help. Please review our Grief Counseling Training Program to see if it meets your academic and professional goals.
A stillborn birth is a terrible experience for the parents. Still in the shuffle of loss and pain, other family members are also forgotten. Potential grandparents suffer the loss very hard as well. Grand parents share in the lives of their children and seeing their adult children lose a child and also be denied a grandchild is also very painful.
Grandparents also suffer the loss of a grandchild due to stillborn. Please also review our Grief Counseling Certification and see if it meets your academic needs
The article, “When a baby is stillborn, grandparents are hit with ‘two lots of grief’. Here’s how we can help” by Beth Daley states,
“Six babies are stillborn every day in Australia. This significant loss affects parents for years to come, often the rest of their lives. However, stillbirth also affects many others, including grandparents.”
Grandparents definitely have much to suffer when they lose a grandchild. They have to not only mourn themselves but also be there for their children. To read the entire article, please click here
