Every person will experience grief and loss differently in life. Many factors impact how an individual will experience grief and loss. A person’s culture, upbringing, socioeconomic status, and ethnicity may all impact how grief and loss are experienced. Whenever a connection with something we care about is severed, grief and loss can occur. But what does grief and loss look like? What are common responses to grief and loss? This blog post will highlight how grief and loss may be experienced throughout life.
Responses to Grief and Loss
While grief and loss is experienced throughout the world, when it happens to us it can feel unreal and abnormal. People can question if their grief and loss experience is normal or even appropriate. Grief and loss occurs when our relationship to something we care about becomes disconnected. The grief and loss process is usually connected to the degree to attachment we had with what we lost.
Process of Grief and Loss
There are five stages to grief and loss. To reference these steps click here to read more on the stages on grief and loss. There are some overlapping effects the grief and loss process has as one experiences this process. These can include:
- Emotions popping up – this can include sadness, anger, guilt, numbness, shock, and disbelief to what has happened
- Physiological responses – changes in appetite and sleep patterns, which can impact fatigue levels
- Challenges with cognition – challenges with sleep and powerful emotions can create issues with concentration and focus, perseverative thoughts, and problems with memory
- Behavioral changes – grief and loss can increase isolative behaviors and how one goes about life
- Spirituality/Religion can become questioned – losing someone or thing we care about can disrupt foundational aspects to our identity. This can include questioning our beliefs about how the world works
Does Grief and Loss Go Away?
Grief and loss is a process. It will slowly become less noticeable in time. However, when anniversaries and memories on social media pop up it can feel like grief and loss never left. Practicing self-compassion and acceptance of the process can go a long way when navigating this process.Â
Can Individual Therapy Near Cherry Creek Help?
Finding an individual therapist near you that has experience with supporting grief can be challenging. Searching google and using the free initial consultation that most therapists offer can go a long way in ensuring goodness of fit for you.
Individual Therapy for Grief and Loss
At Revitalize Mental Health PLLC, we have supported people through various forms of grief and loss. These can include: the loss of someone you care about, past trauma, or experiencing a life altering Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). One way of supporting people in the grief and loss process is by using Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy to process and heal the dysfunctional beliefs and other components that may be associated with grief and loss.
If you or someone you know has experienced grief and loss and is struggling, we would be honored to provide support. You can reach us at 720.295.6703 or by submitting a form online here. We look forward to hearing from you!
