What is loss and Bereavement?
Bereavement is a word to describe the time period of after the loss of a loved one. It is a time when you experience a range of emotions connected to the loss, which is often described as grief. Bereavement is not only associated to the death of a loved one, it can also be associated to other losses in our lives, such as, a divorce or any significant change in your life.
Grief is a natural response to the loss of a loved one. It can be described as an overwhelming feeling of sadness and sorrow. Alongside the sadness, you can also experience feelings anger, guilt, relief, anxiety and ambivalence to name a few. It is common to also experience a period of shock and numbness. This can be a natural process of the grief to cope with the loss of the loved one.
Grief will affect people differently. Depending on various factors, such as the relationship to loved one, religion, culture, age, support systems will all have an impact on how we experience grief. People can feel very isolated in their grief, as no two people will grieve in the same way. Similar to bereavement, it can also be felt after a significant change in someone’s life.
Can therapy help with Grief and Bereavement?
In most cases, grief is not a mental health difficulty, it is a natural process. With time, people adapt to the loss. However, some people can experience “complicated or prolonged grief” where a person will experience long lasting symptom of grief and difficulties associated with the grief. People often described as being stuck in their grief or finding it hard to move on after a long period of time.
It can hard to talk to loved ones after a bereavement. Therapy can provide a confidential space to be able to express some of the difficult/intense feelings, emotions and memories you might be experiencing and help guide you through the process.
