Understanding and Managing Grief, October 8 - October 21, 2023

Best selections from Grief Healing's X stream this week:

October is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Awareness Month, which brings attention to the fact that tens of thousands of families across the country suffer the loss of their baby each year. It also brings awareness to the fact that the grief of these families isn’t widely acknowledged. Recognizing the Unique Grief of Bereaved Parents « Stanford Medicine

Unresolved grief can lead to various symptoms, including anger, guilt, and delayed depression. Some other common symptoms are hypervigilance, being clingy or detached. 6 Signs of Unresolved Grief « Psychology Today

"My husband and I had a discussion on mourning practices, in particular the way I mourn my sister, who has been dead for 12 years. He said that when we have children, he wouldn’t want me taking them to her gravesite, because he does not believe children should be exposed to mourning or a depressing situation. I think it’s important for children to understand death at an early age. And I think it’s all right for them to accompany me to the cemetery." Spouses disagree on kids’ exposure to death and grieving « The Washington Post

Grief is a universal human experience, especially when it's a collective grief we can all feel. And in those moments, in order for us to do our part in the world, we must also take care of ourselves. You can't pour from an empty cup, and as grief and trauma therapist Gina Moffa, LCSW, tells mindbodygreen, collective trauma impacts everything down to our nervous system. 5 Things To Do In The Face Of Collective Grief « mindbodygreen

While it is estimated that 10-15% of bereaved people may feel debilitated by their grief for an extended period of time, the concern among many experts and practitioners in the field of grief and bereavement was to what extent this effort to label complicated mourning as a psychiatric disorder “pathologizes” normal grief. Some believed that grief should not be a diagnostic category at all, because that in itself makes it a problem. When Grief Is Complicated or Prolonged « Grief Healing

Some time has passed since the Maui wildfires ravaged the island. The initial shock of witnessing the widespread devastation that unfolded before the eyes of Maui's residents has waned in the media spotlight. Still, residents find themselves confronting the beginning of a deeply personal and shared journey through grief that will leave a lasting imprint on their lives for months and years to come. Even as the news cycle may have shifted its focus, the people of Maui have not. This experience will forever remain etched in their memories.  The Maui Grief Effect: Complex and Chronic « Psychology Today

"I'm 35 years old and was nine years old when I lost my father. I live my life in a perpetual state of loss, it seems. I'm able to find a lot of joy, but it's always shadowed by an inevitable sense of sadness and loneliness. Sometimes, like right now, it just hurts and I don't know what to do with it. I've had years of therapy, with various therapists; I've been in 12-step programs; read numerous books on the subject, but I still live with this deep sense of loss. I guess I just want to know -- WILL IT EVER GO AWAY??"  Coping with Father Loss in Early Childhood « Grief Healing

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