What is Bereavement?
Bereavement occurs following the death of a loved one and can be an extremely painful process. We are all likely to experience bereavement at some time in our lives, and perhaps more than once. Often we need support to come to terms with our loss. The grieving process used to be thought of as a series of stages, but this view is no longer generally held. Just as we are all unique individuals, so we will all grieve in our own individual way.
However, some of the most common reactions experienced upon bereavement may include shock, denial, depression, anger, guilt, and other difficult feelings. Your emotions may seem to be all over the place; you might feel as though you are losing your mind, or that you are on some sort of emotional roller coaster.
The agonising process of grief can have a huge impact on our relationships, work and wellbeing. Many individuals who are grieving find it difficult or impossible to talk to family members about their feelings, especially if the bereavement affects the entire family and they feel an added pressure to be strong for everyone else. Bereavement can also occur following the breakdown of a relationship, the loss of a job, the diagnosis of a chronic health problem, personal injury, redundancy or retirement, children leaving home, a miscarriage or abortion, moving to a different location, or any other major change in our lives.
How Bereavement Counselling Can Help
- Offering an understanding of the mourning process and reassurance that you are not alone
- Offering support and understanding while adjusting to life without your loved one
- Exploring areas that could potentially prevent you from moving on
- Helping you reconnect with yourself and others and enabling you to be more open about your feelings
- Helping you to seek other ways of finding support
- Helping you to adjust to a new sense of self
- Helping you to understand other issues that bereavement opens up
- Offering an understanding of the emotions surrounding grief
- Exploring any difficulties in the relationship you had with the deceased person
- Helping you to heal and find acceptance