This new novel about a family left behind after the death their son, brother and husband in the Iraq war reminds me of "A Death in the Family" by James Agee.
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Monday, July 9, 2012
On Grief
This is a great description of what grief is like long after a death...moments of intense grief often brought on by special events even though we're really doing well most of the time.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
It is all in her head
What was in her head? Anxieties, fears, body symptoms, dreams, wishes or other inescapable thoughts? The noisy stream of consciousness that is in my head is more real than than real, truer than any sensory grounded input from the external world. It is all in my head, everything is in my head, and whatever is in my head goes everywhere with me. Of course it is in my head where else would anything be? My deeply held beliefs and values are all in my head. My family history is all in my head, no-one else carries the same version of events that I do. Even my intuitive gut reactions are really all in my head. The world I live in is all in my head, perceptions, thoughts, and feelings.via wonderersheart.com
Grief is not something that's just in your head. It can not be discounted.
The 4 Tasks of Grief
By Debra Stang
Almost everyone has heard of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross's five stages of grief--denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Many people find that these stages accurately reflect their grief process.
Others, though, especially those with a instrumental or "masculine" style of grieving are unable to reconcile their own experiences with the five stages of grief.
As an alternative, J. William Worden proposed the four tasks of grief. Like Kubler-Ross's stages, these tasks do not necessarily need to be approached in a linear fashion. Some people may need to return to the same task several times as they grow older and their feelings and perceptions of events change.
Task 1: Accept the reality of the loss.
While the Kubler-Ross model ends with acceptance, Worden argues that accepting the reality of the loss--not liking it, but accepting that it has occurred--is the foundation of healing. There are many ways to approach this task. Viewing the body of the person who died is one way to begin. Rituals such as helping to plan the funeral or the memorial service, scattering your loved one's ashes, or tending his or her grave are also ways to start working on the first task.
Task 2: Process your grief and pain.
Different people have different, and often contradictory, ways of processing grief. Some talk, some cry, some throw themselves into work or a favorite hobby. Some people cope with the pain by finding a way to memorialize the person who died by suicide--setting up a scholarship, raising money to help other survivors, or investing time in a cause close to your loved one's heart. There is nothing wrong with processing grief by action as long as you make sure you are using the action to move through your pain, not to hide from it or avoid it.
Task 3: Adjust to the world without your loved one in it.
The third task challenges us to get used to a new and often greatly altered world. Again, different people manage this adjustment in different ways. Perhaps for you it means taking your loved one's phone number off your speed dial or making other plans for Sunday afternoons when you used to meet your loved one for coffee and a movie. Sometimes adjusting to the world without your loved one means having to manage new financial realities, like having to sell your house or return to work. Whatever your loved one's absence means for you, working on Task 3 can help you explore and become accustomed to the peaks and valleys of your new world.
Task 4: Find a way to maintain a connection to the person who died while embarking on your own life.
Worden changed this task from his original model. He used to advise mourners to withdraw emotional energy from the person who died and reinvest it elsewhere. As he spoke to more grievers, however, he became convinced that our connections with our lost loved one do not vanish...but they do change.
In the musical, The Secret Garden, the ghost of a much-loved woman tells her husband to "find some new way to love me now that we're apart." He eventually accepts the legacy of her beautiful garden and his responsibility to their son, thereby releasing her spirit to move on.
You will never stop loving the person who died by suicide, but you will find new ways to love and honor them, and in order to do so, you must move forward in your life. The best connections you can have with anyone--living or dead--are the ones that encourage you to grow and change in time with the rhythms of your own life.
People heal from grief in many different ways. If the five stages of Kubler-Ross leave you scratching your head, perhaps you might benefit from looking for a new model of healing like Worden's tasks of grief. It can't hurt to try.
Debra Stang, LCSW, is a medical social worker and a freelance writer. She has more than 15 years' experience working with people who are bereaved.
I have always preferred Worden's tasks to EKR's stages. They just make more sense don't you think?
A Holistic Approach to Grieving | Bridge of Life Blog
Whenever we are forced to let go of something or someone a psychological death occurs and we need to grieve for our loss. Death comes in many forms; it may be an aspect of ourselves, our youthful qualities, our health, or a dream that is no more. Or it may be a relationship that is ended.
Except for the embracing of the stages of grief (bunk as far as I'm concerned), this is a great article on the other losses we experience when somebody dies.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
The Psychology of Pain: It’s Not What You Think
This an excellent article on managing pain. It especially presents a rebuttal to some of the woo-woo ideas about how to deal with pain.
The Psychology of Pain: It’s Not What You Think
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
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