Grief And Bereavement. Life And Death In Context
Losing a person you care about can be very distressing. Whether it is because of an accident or sickness, it will never make anyone feel prepared for such loss. Bereavement is actually a process. It involves the following stages.
Denial
A person who lost a loved-one will not fully realize that the loss is permanent. Denying the loss is only natural and should be considered healthy. Depending on a person’s coping mechanism, this stage can last for some time. The person grieving will even act as if the loved-one is still alive, doing the same things before the event.
Anger
After the denial stage, a person would now realize that the loss is permanent and get angry. It is only natural that the person will blame other people for the death and believe that they could have done something about it. The person could blame the doctor, the hospital or even the loved-one for the death.
Depression
After the tiring stage of being angry, the person will now feel depressed. This stage is actually the longest, where the person truly grieves for the loss. This is the stage where the person will feel mostly sad and bereft. Unfortunately, some people fail to move on to the next stage and instead, wallow in depression. These people would now be blaming themselves for the death and feel that they were not given enough time to say goodbye.
Acceptance
The last stage in a bereavement process is the acceptance. This stage will allow the person to move on with life and finally realize that the death was uncontrollable. They would even pursue new relationships and use the experience to make them stronger.
Bereavement should not be the reason why you would neglect the other people in your life as well as the things that matter to you. If for some reason, your sadness or depression is taking over your life, you should seek professional help. A psychiatrist can help you go thru the different stages of bereavement until you finally accept the reality. In many instances, anti-depressants are prescribed. Just make sure you do not abuse the medication and end up addicted to it.
Hypnotherapy is also an effective way to recover from bereavement. Your subconscious is more receptive to suggestions and your hypnotist will try and alter specific behavior thru this. The treatment provides almost immediate results and is relatively cheaper than psychotherapy.