Grief (Psychology)

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross as a Religious Leader

by Dennis Klass

Neglected Areas in Bereavement Research- Sorrow and Solace .pdf

by Dennis Klass

An abbreviated version of this paper is now in press in Death Studies titled  Sorrow and Solace: Neglected Areas in Bereavement Research. This version includes material edited out of the DS version. I welcome comments and suggestions about how the paper could be developed further, and about other material that might illuminate the topic

The paper argues that in its focus on finding positive outcomes, bereavement research has neglected or denigrated... more The paper argues that in its focus on finding positive outcomes, bereavement research has neglected or denigrated central phenomena in intense and long-term grief: sorrow and solace. Indeed sorrow is the defining characteristic of grief and consolation historically has been its amelioration. We now seldom describe grief as sorrow.  Inconsolable, the traditional word describing difficult grief, has fallen into disuse. Sorrow has two elements: yearning for the dead person and grief’s depression. The first is best understood within attachment theory, the second is about the human condition and, thus, beyond attachment theory. When we focus on grief’s depression, we attend to grief’s thoughts that can be, as William James said, the “openers of our eyes to the deepest levels of truth.” To be consoled is to be comforted or soothed. Consolation comes into sorrow, but does not remove it. The bereaved can be consoled in human relationships and from inner resources. Solace is found within the sense of being connected to trustable realities outside the self. The paper argues that our research would be more complete were we to include solace that comes into sorrow as one of the outcomes we can help foster.

PRACTICAL COUNSELING SKILLS AND APPROACHES

by Daniel Keeran MSW

By Daniel Keeran, MSW, President, College of Mental Health Counselling

This is a convenient list of practical counseling articles with clickable hypertext to access the full version. Topics... more This is a convenient list of practical counseling articles with clickable hypertext to access the full version. Topics include:

What To Say When Dying,
Working With Anger,
Counseling Depression,
Counseling Domestic Violence,
Healing Childhood Loss of Caring,
Healing Grief,
Healing Sexual Abuse,
Effective Counseling Skills,
Solving Issues in Marriage,
Solving Problems,
Steps To Prevent Suicide,
Steps for Healing Adultery

Two Kinds of Grief

by Author Sam Oliver

Grief

Over the last 22 years, I have noticed Hospice families deal with the loss of their loved one in a couple of ways.... more Over the last 22 years, I have noticed Hospice families deal with the loss of their loved one in a couple of ways. There are those who mourn deeply their loss. And, there are those who grieve with hope. Both will lead you to the same place inside your being. Therefore, I do not want to imply that one way of grieving is better than the other.

As a loved one passes or is close to the end of their physical life, families begin to find themselves at a loss. The ability to talk to their loved one diminishes. The ability to take a walk with him or her falls away. The ability to share a meal, a memory, and countless other experiences fade into past memories. These past memories become alive inside those who can no longer create new experiences with their loved one who is dying.

This regression into one’s imagination and one’s heart reveals experiences that come alive inside one’s soul. Here, souls join one another on a journey that has no beginning or an end. This part of a relationship is eternal and sacred. They are the inspirational moments allowing a story to be formed and shared. As such, a sacred memory becomes a living presence inside those who have shared them.

I have noticed two kinds of grief in dealing with Hospice families dealing with the loss of their loved ones. One is mourning. The other is grieving with hope.

Mourning is a deep heartfelt experience of loss. This is a kind of grief that expresses itself in the body on an emotional level. The body may become flushed, weakened, very tearful, and much more.

It is good to allow space for deep seeded grief to express itself. This cleanses toxic emotions needing to express themselves through the body. As a person finds expression for their grief, a feeling of relief relaxes the body over a period of time.

Grieving with Hope is faith based. This usually means that a person believes he or she will meet their loved one in heaven again someday. This kind of hope can be comforting in the moment. Later, a person may feel his or her loss when their loved one doesn’t come home with them at their death.

Although a faith based grief has its strength, it does not make everything ok. There is still a feeling of loss on an emotional level. The heart knows something is different and nothing will be the same again.

Our bodies were created to express themselves “even” in grief. In Sacred Texts of many kinds, we find the encouragement to find “peace in the midst of despair” or “blessed are they who mourn for they shall be comforted.” Both of these statements reveal a connection to our faith in a higher being who will give us healing through the path of loss, and into, a sacred journey into the soul where our relationships are eternal.

This journey is taken through and inside the body. It is the journey into the same breath that gives us life and leads us home at the moment our body releases that breath in death. It is a sacred path leading us into who we really are.

Helping a Grieving Friend - Second Edition

by Brian Wong

Lamoure J., Stovel J. Varenicline and Suicidal Ideations. How Common is It?. Cdn J of CME 2012; 24(2): 14

by Dr. Joel Lamoure

Lamoure J., Stovel J. Varenicline and Suicidal Ideations. How Common is It?. Cdn J of CME 2012; 24(2): 14
Dr Joel Lamoure

In Canada, varenicline is currently indicated for smoking cessation in conjunction with counselling.1 There have been... more In Canada, varenicline is currently indicated for smoking cessation in conjunction with counselling.1 There have been numerous reports of increased suicidal ideation in patients taking varenicline, and in patients that are quitting smok- ing. This has resulted in the Health Canada Advisory warning health- care providers about the increased risk of serious neuropsychiatric adverse events in those patients taking varenicline. Specifically, depressed mood, agitation, hostili- ty, changes in behaviour, suicidal ideation and suicide, as well as worsening of pre-existing psychi- atric illness have been observed.2 This scenario is very reminiscent for me of the mid 1980’s when fluoxe- tine was first launched in the USA.

The Impact of the So-Called Stages of Grief

by Brian Wong

Nader, K. O., & Layne, C. M. (2009, September). Maladaptive Grieving in Children and Adolescents: Discovering Developmentally-linked Differences in the Manifestation of Grief. Traumatic Stress Points, 23(5), 12-16.

by Christopher Layne

Our article on child and adolescent grief begins on p. 13.  Please use the appropriate reference citation if you cite this article. Thanks

The Practice of Cultivating Bodhichitta and Maranasati

by Jennifer R. Stevens

My purpose in researching this subject was multi-faceted.  I wanted to explore the Tibetan Buddhist perspective... more My purpose in researching this subject was multi-faceted.  I wanted to explore the Tibetan Buddhist perspective regarding the process of actual dying and the transfer of consciousness (Phowa), that is believed to occur following the death and I planned to investigate the rituals and meditations associated with their understanding of death.  I, also, hoped to discover how Buddhist thought can help supplement Western practices of end-of-life care, including the methods of training, the use of rituals, and the ways of offering support to those who companion the dying.  I hope to understand ways to implement Buddhist wisdom to deepen and enrich our lives and our dying in the West, especially if a patient is open to supplementing their own spiritual path with conscious dying.  Finally, I intended to suggest some areas where further inquiry might be of benefit to the field of psychology and to the practice of working with death and dying.

Bereaved adults' evaluations of grief management messages: Effects of message person centeredness, recipient individual differences, and contextual factors

by Graham Bodie

Published as Rack, J. J., Burleson, B. R., Bodie, G. D., Holmstrom, A. J., & Servaty-Seib, H. (2008). Bereaved adults’ evaluations of grief management messages: Effects of message person centeredness, recipient individual differences, and contextual factors. Death Studies, 32, 399-427.

“Losing Things Was Nothing New”: A Family's Stories of Foreclosure

by Andrew Herrmann

Herrmann, A. F. (2011). “Losing things was nothing new”: A family’s story of foreclosure. Journal of Loss & Trauma, 16, 497-510.

Although personal bankruptcies and foreclosures have always been common, in Western culture people do not often share... more Although personal bankruptcies and foreclosures have always been common, in Western culture people do not often share these stories. In this article, I briefly examine the literature surrounding, narrative “stories on the margin,” and disenfranchised grief. I then present my family members’ stories surrounding the loss of our home in 1991 through foreclosure. Following these stories, I examine how disenfranchised grief –
through the lack of culturally sanctioned stories of loss – can lead to silence. Finally, I substantiate why eliciting noncanonical economic narratives are personally and collectively beneficial for research on grief and loss.

Healing the Pain of Grief

by Daniel Keeran MSW

by Daniel Keeran, MSW, RMHC-S

GRIEF COUNSELING THEORY AND SKILLS COURSE ONLINE

In this practical online course you will learn what to say to help someone who is grieving and needs healing to move forward in life. The course text and assignments are included in tuition and are sent to you immediately as a PDF attached email file with a hard copy sent by regular mail. To Register visit http://www.counseling-skills.com

This article is an excerpt from the chapter entitled “Grief Counseling Skills” in Effective Counseling Skills: the... more This article is an excerpt from the chapter entitled “Grief Counseling Skills” in Effective Counseling Skills: the practical wording of therapeutic statements and processes. More practical skills are found in the following press release http://prlog.org/11645786

Daniel Keeran, MSW, has been a professional counselor and therapist for over 30 years. He has provided counseling and training to thousands of professionals and the public through his private practice, seminars, and online training courses.

To order the best-selling training manual "Effective Counseling Skills" go to http://www.amazon.com/Effective-Counseling-Skills-therapeutic-statements/dp/1442177993

Steps To Prevent Suicide

by Daniel Keeran MSW

by Daniel Keeran, MSW, RMHC-S

The College of Mental Health Counseling at www.collegemhc.com... more The College of Mental Health Counseling at www.collegemhc.com urges the general public to learn and distribute these steps to prevent the suicide of friends and family members.

Please print or distribute this report throughout the internet and send it to all your contacts and friends.

This procedure is adapted by permission from the text "Effective Counseling Skills" by Daniel Keeran, MSW, for counselors and for the general public found here http://www.amazon.com/Effective-Counseling-Skills-therapeutic-statements/dp/1442177993

HELP SAVE LIVES: Copy and Paste This Message
on 'Steps To Prevent Suicide' To Your Facebook Wall and in Your Email Signature http://www.prlog.org/11478670
Thanks for caring

Effective Counseling Skills: the practical wording of therapeutic statements and processes

by Daniel Keeran MSW

by Daniel Keeran, MSW, RMHC-S

Also used as a counselor training and examination manual, this book gives away the secrets of effective counselors and... more Also used as a counselor training and examination manual, this book gives away the secrets of effective counselors and therapists. The practical skills and concepts distilled in the present form, are the contributions of countless colleagues and clients who over the years have challenged the creative energies of the author. Effective Counseling Skills is designed to achieve the primary purpose of making counseling skills public knowledge in the belief that the health of society is improved when counseling is known to the most people. The style of the manual is conversational with numerous examples of the wording of therapeutic statements.

Major topic areas include an explanation of the client's personal history, suicide prevention, how to begin and deepen the counseling process, helping the client learn healthy ways of relating, moving the client from childhood to maturity, skills for healing grief, and working with couples facing issues of conflict, infidelity, addiction, and other common problems. Practical ways to build and manage a counseling practice are presented. A detailed index and table of contents make the volume easy to use as a guide for both the practitioner as well as people seeking help.

See this news release entitled "Mental Health News: Library Acquisitions Add Counseling Text To Collections" http://prlog.org/11741730

The title is also available through interlibrary loan in the US and Canada from major public and university libraries including : Howard University, University of Hawaii at Hilo, University of Manitoba, Vancouver Public Library (Canada), Dallas Theological Seminary, Bogazici Univ Library – Istanbul (Turkey), San Diego Public Library, Dixie State College of Utah, University of Louisville, University of Southern California, Texas A&M University, University of Missouri--Columbia, University of Wisconsin-Madison General Library System, Columbia University Libraries, University of Massachusetts at Boston, Hunter College Wexler Library – New York, NY, Trinity International University, Indiana University - Purdue University Indianapolis.

View text at http://www.amazon.com/Effective-Counseling-Skills-therapeutic-statements/dp/1442177993

View article here http://ezinearticles.com/?Effective-Counseling-Skills---The-Practical-Wording-of-Therapeutic-Statements-and-Processes&id=4878216

Go here for a video presentation from the author http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aodrYDAo9xk

"'We weren't laughing at them . . . We're grieving with you': Empathy and Comic Vision in Welty's The Optimist's Daughter"

by Adrienne Akins

Art, Aging and Abandonment in Japan

by Jason Danely

Journal of Aging, Humanities and the Arts

Representations of aging in Japanese art not only influence how older adults construct their identity in late life,... more Representations of aging in Japanese art not only influence how older adults construct their identity in late life, but the ethical implications of this identification.  In this article I concentrate on one particular story (Obasuteyama 姥捨て山), as it appears in various forms throughout centuries of Japanese folklore, literature, theater and film.  While the Obasuteyama story addresses the moral questions surrounding the fear of abandonment in old age, its multiple artistic interpretations also provide older adults with different cultural models to cope with this fear.  This is supported and elaborated with ethnographic observations concerning aging and abandonment.

The kidney transplant failure experience: a longitudinal case study

by Paul Gill

Gill P, Lowes L (2009) Progress in Transplantation, 19 (2), 114-121

Death within Life: Tonal Duality in Purple King

by Jeff Zeiders

Authored by Danielle Buonaiuto.

This analysis of Zeiders' song cycle provides an insightful commentary into the composer's creative process.  This analysis of Zeiders' song cycle provides an insightful commentary into the composer's creative process. 

Suffering and Transformation in the Career of Rollo May

by Jennifer R. Stevens

Through this essay, I propose to explore two areas of Rollo May’s life and work.  In the first section, I will... more Through this essay, I propose to explore two areas of Rollo May’s life and work.  In the first section, I will show how May’s own formative years and experiences led to his worldviews on psychology and philosophy.  This will include a discussion of his own struggles with suffering and the influences of the continental thinkers such as Kierkegaard and Tillich on that subject.  I will briefly explore how my studies of May influence my work with counseling grieving individuals.
In the second section of this essay, I will discuss his use of literature and mythology in uncovering the depth of understanding and transformation that accompany the human condition when one seeks to become genuinely free and live intentionally.  Finally, I will discuss how the use of the roles of searching for meaning, and working with paradoxes are healing and transformative to those who are mourning.   

Living with the Dead: cinematic love and death.

by Mary O'Neill

Representations of Love in Film and Television
November  11 - 14, 2010, Milwaukee (USA)

In recent years the understanding of grief as a consequence of love and death has developed beyond the model that... more In recent years the understanding of grief as a consequence of love and death has developed beyond the model that suggested that the bereaved would eventually ‘recover’ and be able to replace the loved one.  More recently bereavement theories has incorporated the knowledge, which has so often been expressed by the bereaved in the arts, that ‘recovery’ my not in fact be possible or desirable for the bereaved person. In this paper I will discuss two films that explore the consequences of love and death. In Christopher Hampton’s Carrington (1995) we witness the intense love of Dora Carrington for Lytton Strachey which results in her being unable to face a life without him and consequently commits suicide. 
In Francois Ozon’s Under the Sand (2001) we also see a character who is also unable to accommodate the death of her husband and appears to her friend to have ‘gone mad’. These films will be discussed in relation to the recent work of Colin Murray Parkes and the work of John Bowly, both of whom have contributed significantly to our understand of the relationship between love and death.