British Association for Counseling and Psychotherapy
You should seek bereavement therapy if any of the following indications are present: You’re having suicide thoughts and/or experiencing chronic symptoms of depression, and you need help. You’re suffering persistent signs and symptoms of distress, such as sobbing, sleeplessness, lack of appetite, increased irritability and rage, or panic attacks, among other things.
If you are unable to eat, sleep, or engage in your job or school, this is a strong indication that you require some assistance with coping skills. Although it is common to experience changes in mood as a result of grieving, it is cause for concern if you find yourself acting in ways that are completely out of character for you at this point in your life.
Example: A widow who is merely trying to cope with her husband’s passing may seek grief counseling; but, if she has lost her appetite and been having difficulty sleeping for several weeks, it may be a more significant condition for which she needs bereavement therapy. Grief counseling has a number of advantages.
If you feel as if your life has come to an end and you have nothing to look forward to, grief therapy can help you get unstuck and move ahead. General rule: If you have been mourning for a year or longer and still feel that you are unable to move on, you should consider seeking professional assistance.
There is no defined period of time during which mourning must be endured. You may see a difference in your symptoms in 6 to 8 weeks, but the entire treatment may take anything from 6 months to 4 years.
The term ″normal″ grieving refers to the experiences that people experience in the first few weeks or months after a loss. It can manifest itself in a variety of ways, such as sobbing, becoming angry, or losing interest in your typical activities. Individuals who experience this sort of grieving will gradually become more resilient as they learn to cope with their loss.
When you lose someone important to you, the pain you feel never completely goes away, but you do learn to manage with it over time as time goes on. Talking with loved ones about your suffering, recalling all of the positive things in your life, participating in your favorite hobbies, and visiting with a grief counselor are all excellent coping tactics.
In truth, it is conceivable to experience many contradictory feelings at the same time – and yes, it is OK to be pleased and grieving at the same time. It can be difficult to sort through all of your feelings, which is why participating in bereavement services in Alameda County and elsewhere can be extremely beneficial to you.
It is totally normal to be extremely depressed for more than a year, and in some cases for many years, after the death of someone you care about. Put no pressure on yourself to feel better or to move on just because other people think you should or that you should not. Compassionately treat yourself and allow yourself the space and time you require to grieve.
When someone is grieving, depression is frequently the most painful and prolonged stage.
Inability to express and recognize grief can have a harmful influence on us emotionally as well as physically, according to research. It is possible to suffer physical symptoms as a result of unconsciously delaying the mourning process and withholding emotions, such as headaches and difficulties sleeping, as well as illnesses and gastrointestinal issues.
Avoiding places, people, and stuff that are associated with the loss in an excessive manner. A strong wish to die and be with the dead is expressed. It’s difficult to put your faith in other individuals. Feeling isolated or disconnected from others.
Grief may elicit feelings of guilt, and it shares many of the symptoms of depression as well as other emotions. When you are unable to acknowledge and address loss, you are disregarding your general health, and you are hesitant to move on and enjoy life, all of these factors combine to make it very difficult to overcome grief.
Mourning that is not functional shows a failure to follow the predicted path of regular grieving all the way through to resolution (Lindemann, 1944). Whenever a process deviates from its expected course, the individual gets overwhelmed and resorts to maladaptive coping mechanisms.
Coping strategies for dealing with bereavement
There are a variety of approaches that may be used to properly manage with your discomfort.
Masked sorrow is grief that the one experiencing the grief does not acknowledge having – or that the person experiencing the pain masks. This can be frequent among men, as well as in societies and cultures where there are laws that prescribe how you must act or look following the death of someone dear to you, such as in Asian societies and cultures.