All of a sudden I felt there was nothing more to do. There is nothing. I'm so confused, so
lost...All of a sudden she passed away and I couldn't do anything more for her. The ambitious,
hopes, and inspirations I had before seemed no longer important to me...How am I going to live?
What am I going to hang on to? Is it necessary to grieve? Do sorrow and mental anguish serve some
useful function? What is the purpose of grief work?
Grief is the reaction to the loss of a person or thing to which we have become attached. It
is a natural and normal reaction that has a natural form and sequence. It is, at times, intensely painful
and frightening, and it may therefore be avoided, repressed, or distorted out if its natural form. Grief
is experienced in each of three major ways--psychologically (through your feelings, thoughts, and
attitudes), socially (through your behavior with others), and physically (through your health and
bodily symptoms).
Psychiatric research indicates that attempts to deny or avoid grief are potentially harmful.
It is important for people who suffer a loss who are in a position to help to encourage the bereaved
to express their grief. This process of realization and the acceptance of the full implications of the
loss take time. "I can't believe it' true, it doesn't seem real."
Grief is a continuing development, involving many changes over time. It will come and go
and appear different times. Grief is a natural, expectable reaction. In fact, the absence of it is
abnormal in most cases. Grief is the reaction to all kinds of losses, not just death. Grief is
multilayered, the pain is felt on many levels at once. For example, when a loved one dies, the
bereaved not only must feel...