Grief

Emotional responses to loss are hard to overcome.

Grief can be described as the intense emotional and physical reaction experienced by an individual following a loved one’s death.

Grief is characterized by deep sadness and an intense yearning to be with that person again.

A loved one’s death is one of the most powerful stressors in everyday life. Bereaved individuals are more at risk of severe mental health problems, such as depression, substance abuse, and increased suicide risk.

While bereavement is considered a normal human experience with most individuals adapting over time to their loss, grief remains an excruciating period where adjustments can take months, if not years.

Expressions of grief vary from person to person.

No two people experience the death of a loved one the same way. How individuals express their pain depends upon several factors, including their personality, the circumstances surrounding the death, and how they view the world.

One of the hardest things for grieving people is ‘not knowing’ what to expect, especially in the first few months.

Often, people question whether their experience is ‘normal’ and wonder whether they are going crazy.

Dealing with the unexpected is difficult.

How someone thinks about life and death has a significant impact on how he or she grieves.

Most people expect that children should outlive their parents and that most of us will live long and healthy lives.

When someone dies suddenly or prematurely, many of these basic assumptions about life become challenged.

Therapy helps make sense of the grieving process.

Grief is not an illness with a prescribed cure – it’s a normal and expected response to the death of a loved one. It is a highly individualized process that involves many ups and downs.

Part of my role as a therapist is to educate bereaved people about what they might experience following a loved one’s death. Also, I attempt to increase their sense of control and facilitate their adaptation.

As a therapist who has lost both his parents and recently his father-in-law, I am well acquainted with the grief process.

Let me walk with you through your grief. Call me at (916) 880-6387 for a free 15-minute heart-to-heart.