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What is Grief Therapy?

Grief is more than just the feelings you experience. Instead, it's a process you must go through to recover fully. And thus, grief counseling can provide a means to deal with such events in a healthy way. It helps people comprehend and manage their feelings and finally find a means to move on.

However, to manage the situation effectively, it is essential to connect with a skilled and trained professional. Processing a loss needs guided intervention which can only be performed by someone equipped and trained to help you through this sensitive phase of life.

And with therapy, you can address this situation most efficiently. This is because it allows you to examine your emotions and memories in a judgment-free environment. There is no loss too great or too minor to warrant support. Remember that you do not have to endure your grief alone.

The Different Stages

The grieving person may feel that their reaction to the situation is abnormal. However, it is essential to remember that everything is a part of a process, and it is absolutely okay to feel what they are feeling. For this reason, it is essential to emphasize the Kubler-Ross model, which depicts the five stages of grief. Yet, it is also important to know that Dr. Kubler-Ross herself notes that these stages are not linear, and all five stages do not necessarily occur for everyone. But, these stages are the most widely accepted as they equip us to navigate through the flurry of feelings in a knowledgeable manner.

• Denial: Denial is the stage that helps us in surviving the loss. The shock might make you feel like life has no meaning and is too overwhelming for you to bear. Consequently, you go numb. In this stage, due to the shock, you may wonder how it will be possible for you to go on to the next stage and adapt to whatever life has to offer. Because life, as you knew it, has now changed forever. Thus, you prefer to create your own reality rather than take life at face value. For example, if you receive the news of the death of a loved one, you may cling to the false hope that they may have identified the wrong person. Or, if you experience a miscarriage, you may believe that the doctors must have made a mistake in testing you.

  However, it is crucial to note that there is nothing wrong with denying reality. In fact, denial can be seen as nature's way of saying to us that there is only so much you can handle. Denial helps pace the overwhelming emotions and the grief that one feels. It also allows you time to deal with the situation at your own pace, as you keep denying it while you are not ready for acceptance. Once the shock starts to fade and you start coming out of denial, the real healing process begins. At this point, the repressed feelings start to surface.

• Anger: You could feel as though you are no longer grounded in reality when you go through a loss. You may feel abandoned or isolated due to your circumstances. There is nothing substantial you can grab onto now that your life has fallen apart. Therefore, consider anger as a force that keeps you grounded in reality, as it can be directed towards what you perceive. The fact you can blame others re-establishes your connection with the world. Thus, it is an important step in the healing process and something to hold onto.

  During this stage, you may become sarcastic, irritable, aggressive, and uncontrollable and resent yourself or those around you. For example, in case of the death of a loved one, your anger could be directed towards family members who you feel didn't do enough to save the deceased. Or, in case of losing your job, you may start resenting a particular ex-colleague or a friend who didn't support you enough. Religious people may also direct their anger toward God, thinking, "How could God let this happen to me?"

  Research supports that it is crucial to express genuine anger. It is believed that even though it may seem like you are stuck in a never-ending cycle of being angry at everyone and with everything, it will eventually pass. The more intensely you feel it, the quicker it will pass and the faster you will heal. It is unhealthy to hold back your anger because it is a natural emotion and, in some cases, even a required one.

• Bargaining: To bargain with the pain of loss, we try to create false hopes through negotiations. Some may make promises to God or other higher beings like, "If my wife lives longer, I'll never fight with her," or "If I could be healed of cancer, I'd help the needy more." To prevent the pain of breaking up, people may also bargain with their partners, pleading with them to give the relationship another chance as they promise to change. The person is so desperate to prevent grief that they are willing to make a significant life change just to restore normality or prevent a life upheaval.

  As guilt often comes along with bargaining, they are stuck in a cycle of wondering, "What if I had known sooner that I would be diagnosed with cancer" and "If only I had stopped her from leaving in such a hurry the other day, she could have been saved." Such statements about the incident, particularly to those suffering, could keep repeating in one's thoughts.

• Depression: When we get to the depressive stage, we start getting into a quieter state. We may experience grief more deeply. When we are depressed, we primarily envision cutting off relationships with those around us to the point where we prefer loneliness. In fact, we might experience such numbness that we withdraw from life, exist in a state of mental misery, and sometimes even consider suicide. At this point, the emptiness brought on by the loss feels all too real and crushing. However, it is crucial to remember that feeling depressed after a loss is a normal and appropriate reaction and not a symptom of mental illness.

• Acceptance: Your emotions may start to stabilize at this point. You return to the present. You accept the "new" reality that what you lost cannot be recovered. And eventually, you will learn to be okay with that. Undoubtedly, this is a period of adjustment and readjustment. We might even attempt to resume our previous way of life in certain aspects, but eventually, we realize it won't be possible. To function, acceptance at this stage also requires that we reimagine life and assign new responsibilities to ourselves and those around us.

  Although what has been lost cannot be replaced, acceptance allows us to forge deeper bonds with those around us and form new friendships. Instead of avoiding our needs and feelings, we confront them, learn from them, and transform into new, more resilient people. But none of this is feasible until we give the process enough time.

What are the Benefits?

This approach can provide one with several benefits. These include:

• Helps you focus on yourself: This therapeutic approach does not necessitate that you forget about what you lost. You don't have to forget. But it's normal to desire to get to a stage when your attention turns away from your suffering and sadness and toward the treasured memories and legacies of what has been left behind. You might realize that it's advantageous to be able to replace your negative emotions with more enduring and joyful ones. With someone to talk to, the process can become a lot easier.
• You can go at your pace: This approach doesn't need a treatment plan. You are free to express your sorrow in your way, at your own pace, and with the support you need. A professional will walk this route with you and help you through each stage. You can express your emotions openly and get suggestions on how to deal with problems better as they come up one at a time.
• You make your own choices: You get complete control over the procedure. Even while you won't ever forget what you lost, you will eventually be able to make your own decisions. Over time, you will realize that your personal life will go on, and grief therapy can benefit you as you try to adjust to the new situation. You simply need to commit to the healing process.

Common Techniques

The different techniques employed by grief therapists provide various approaches to dealing with loss. Some of the common interventions include:

• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy: CBT for grief works by assisting you in being aware of your negative thought patterns. These patterns can lead to actions that make it challenging to process the situation effectively. During the sessions, the therapist may ask you about your thoughts or feelings regarding your loss. Recognizing these negative thought patterns can better understand how these influence your behavior.
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: ACT employs mindfulness to help process grief. This kind of treatment can be helpful for prolonged grief that persists for a year or longer following a loss. ACT aids in the emotional reprocessing of a loss. It also enables you to start processing whatever feelings you might have been avoiding.
• Traumatic Grief Therapy: This approach helps process a sudden trauma-related loss, such as the untimely death of a loved one.
• Art Therapy: It promotes healing and the processing of grief through creativity. It can support, enhance and restore the feeling of well-being after a loss.
• Play Therapy: Play therapy can be used by engaging in imaginative or other sorts of play. It gives children a safe space to express their emotions while equipping them with emotional regulation tools. Children respond best to play therapy because they frequently find it difficult to express their feelings, emotions, and concerns, especially after a significant loss. Thus, to aid the process, play therapy can be helpful as it gives them the means to express themselves.

What Conditions Can it Help Treat?

MBCT was designed to assist patients who frequently experience episodes of profound sadness or depression to avoid relapsing. Patients with major depressive disorder who have gone through at least three depressive episodes have found it helpful. However, this treatment approach can also treat the following conditions:

• Generalized Anxiety Disorders
• Bipolar Disorder
• Emotional Distress
• Addictions

Additionally, this approach has been demonstrated to reduce depressive symptoms in some persons who simultaneously have physical health issues, such as:

• Vascular Diseases
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Chronic Pain

Apart from this, research in fibromyalgia-affected women demonstrates how well it works to lessen the effects of this persistent illness.

Get Counseling from a Trusted Therapist With DocVita

This treatment is an eight-week group intervention program. After the fifth week, there is one day-long lesson in addition to the weekly, two-hour course that takes place over those eight weeks. And as already established, it can treat a variety of conditions. So, if you're looking for a qualified MBCT therapist, you are at the right place.

At DocVita, we can help you connect with various specialists who can help you with your specific condition. All you have to do is visit our page, browse through a comprehensive list of experts, and book your first therapy session today!