grief counseling
therapy for grief and loss
in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, and Pennsylvania
Maybe you lost a beloved partner, friend, parent, child, or pet and find yourself completely lost without the routines you established with your loved ones. Each loss is unique depending on the relationship, the suddenness of the loss, and the manner of death. Some losses are traumatic with long-term impacts. No matter how you lost your loved one, you wish you could interact with your beloved more time but have to settle for photos and videos. What will life look like going forward? Even more, you’re too sad and empty to consider it.
Grief can be just as highly variable as anxiety. There is no textbook way of grieving. Each person’s response to loss is unique. Reactions are highly variable and never wrong. Each person is unique in reacting to death; each death is unique. Our reactions depend on our relationship to the deceased, the manner of death, whether the death was anticipated or unexpected.
If the loss was traumatic (i.e., sudden and violent or horrific such as with a murder or terrible accident), it is possible that in addition to grief, a person may experience what is called an acute stress reaction which may develop into a posttraumatic stress reaction. Again, these distinctions can be tricky to discern and are mostly important for treatment purposes. Just know you are not alone with grief, and help is available whether through online psychotherapy, grief and loss groups, support from your community and/or place of worship, or all of the above.
Also know that a grief reaction can occur in response to any number of life changes, not just death. Any change to a way of life as we knew it brings about a period of adjustment that can include all the classic signs of grief. Loss of our routines can be very unsettling. Be patient with yourself and give yourself some grace through challenging times.
widowhood, grief & loss
Another scenario whereby a relationship ends either gradually or abruptly can occur with the death of our loved one. If you had a truly happy union and lose your partner whether traumatically or expectedly, this can be absolutely heartbreaking. You long for another chat, another hug, and one last kiss. Walking through the home without their presence can leave a gaping hole in your heart. If something great happens, you’re no longer able to share in that joy together.
Sometimes the situation is more complicated. Perhaps your relationship hadn’t been at its best or was even rocky when your partner died. This can leave all sorts of unresolved feelings and frustrations. You find yourself having unfinished business that can never be resolved in the way you wished it could be. This can lead to feelings of guilt, anger, and loss.
what are the five stages of grief?
Since first being identified and documented by Dr. Elizabeth Kubler Ross, the phrase “stages of grief” has become popularly known. Yet many people wonder what exactly the stages are. The Five Stages of Grief are:
Denial
Depression
Bargaining
Anger
Acceptance
Let’s take a closer look at each. Denial might also be a state of shock. The loss is unbelievable. This stage may be particularly pronounced for losses that are traumatic or sudden. Depression is the sadness that accompanies the loss. We miss our loved one. We long for them. We are just heartbroken they are no longer with us in the living.
We may experience bargaining before an expected loss, such as from cancer, where we believe if we do “A” we’ll get the outcome we want “B,” our love one will survive. After the loss, we may have some magical thinking where we offer to do something in the hopes our loved one will return; this has a bit of denial mixed in.
With anger we are outraged internally by the loss and may find ourselves lashing out at other family, friends, or strangers. Look for an increase in outbursts or angry language.
With acceptance we know our loved one is gone, and we have some degree of peace about the loss.
It should also be mentioned that these reactions are not stages whereby we start at number one and graduate to number two and so on. This was thought to be the course originally but the theory has been modified to understand that these reactions are fluid. Particularly just following the loss, we may find ourselves going through all the stages, maybe even in the course of a day. As you continue on your journey of healing, you will likely spend most of your time in acceptance.
begin online counseling
with ARose etherapy
in colorado, florida, maryland, & pennsylvania
One of the hardest experiences we as humans must endure are losses. We all wish we would never have to endure these experiences. We wish we could keep our loved ones with us. If you struggle with missing your loved ones, please reach out for support. Psychotherapy online offers a space where you can have an hour to yourself, to share whatever is weighing on your mind.
You will have a safe space to release your feelings, cry, and maybe even feel a bit lighter as you work through the grieving process. Take an important step towards healing though this grieving period by investing in your self-care with online therapy. AROSE eTherapy offers online therapy to serve you in Colorado, Florida, Maryland, and Pennsylvania.
