The death of a loved one – a spouse, a parent, a child – is something we never want to think about and certainly never want to experience and yet so many of us do, each and every day. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross is one of the most renowned experts on grief and wrote the renowned book “On Death and Dying” that identified the five stages of grief. Her words bring sharp focus to what it means to grieve.
“The reality is that you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same. Nor should you be the same nor would you want to.”
― Elisabeth Kübler-Ross
Each of us face losses and for some of us, things like time, the support of loved ones, and the fond memories of the person we lost helps us make our way through the mourning and grieving process. But for others, grief becomes debilitating.
Even those who are able to successfully navigate the tumultuous waters of loss and grief need help at times. Support groups, grief counseling, and other therapeutic interventions are always available to those in need. Those who are unable to resume their lives and instead feel a heightened sense of bereavement over time may be suffering from complicated grief.