“Mourning is love with no place to go”—Unknown
Losing someone or something close to us is a profoundly human experience. Despite being a common bond between all of us, the grieving process is uniquely complex and personal for each of us.
Grief generally follows the well-known progression of:
denial/isolation — anger — bargaining — depression — acceptance.
Such a simplification can never capture nor account for the profound differences that an individual encounters when grieving. Talk to a person who has walked through grief and they’ll be able to shed light on how they, specifically, managed their mourning process. At the same time, we can connect and find strength through some of grief’s more common characteristics. We can find hope and direction in our shared experiences, and a grief counselor can be helpful along the way.
If you can relate to any of the five stages listed above or their progression, then you are not alone, even though you may feel that way. If you feel stuck in any one stage, don’t fear; this, too, is common and there is hope. If you’ve noticed yourself judging your anger or your depression, do not despair. Each stage comes with its own unique traps and minefields. Just knowing what to expect and how to predict what’s coming can be one of the most powerful methods to effectively and transformatively move through the grief process. Grief counseling can be a helpful tool for navigating these painful and confusing times.
If you are courageously seeking help to move forward through pain and grief, or if you are simply seeking to regain equilibrium and balance in the midst of loss, I welcome the opportunity to join you through grief counseling in your journey towards hope and wholeness.
