How Does Grief Therapy Help?
Grief is an inescapable part of life. The loss of somebody or something beloved is always a challenge to face and is likely to initiate a range of negative and complex emotions for the griever. Some people struggle with these feelings a lot and end up disturbing their lives significantly. So, it is always better to seek help. Grief therapy, online or face-to-face, might be the best getaway.
This article will help you explore the concept in detail. It is likely to answer most of your questions about it. So, keep reading!
What is grief?
Grief refers to a range of emotions that you experience in response to a loss. You can be in a state of shock, anger, guilt, sadness, or disbelief while grieving.
Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, a well-known psychiatrist divides grief into 5 profound stages. These include;
- Denial
- Anger
- Bargaining
- Depression
- Acceptance
These stages usually refer to the attempt of an individual to process the loss and adapt to reality.
What is grief therapy?
Grief therapy is a professional treatment approach designed to help people work through various stages of grief. It makes people practice some essential coping strategies that can help them muddle through their loss and ease their sentiments.
The therapy provides grieving individuals with an opportunity to share their thoughts and feelings to ease the distress.
Signs to look for when considering grief therapy
The intensity of grief varies among people. Many people overcome their losses without any help. However, some people experience complicated grief when the emotions last for a long time and sometimes change into feelings of guilt and depression.
In such a case, they need some help.
Here are some signs and symptoms indicating the need for grief therapy.
1. Intense emotional pain and sadness.
2. Depressive feelings and hopelessness.
3. Constant streams of thoughts about the loss.
4. Longing to meet the lost person.
5. Avoiding your friends and family.
6. Desire to isolate and detach yourself from the world.
7. A reduced sense of identity.
8. Lack of desire to continue with life.
9. Mental agony and aggression disturbing everyday life.
10. Guilt and despair making it hard to adapt to the reality.
Grief therapy techniques, how does it work?
Grief therapy not only works for adults dealing with a loss but also for anybody going through a traumatic event. It can be somebody who lost a coworker, a child dealing with the loss of a pet, or couple going through a miscarriage, etc.
For all of them, the therapy works in two steps;
1. First, the counselor has to ensure that the client feels safe and comfortable in the environment. He/she has to develop a sense of trust for the bereaved to share their feelings openly.
2. Secondly, the counselor should listen to the individual actively and participate in the discussion. The discussion could be about the event or the deceased person, anything that lets the individual release all the agony.
For a healthy discussion, there are some specific techniques to practice. Below are some grief therapy techniques for the best outcomes.
Let the bereaved express their emotions
A grieving individual is sometimes looking for a safe place and person to mourn their loss. They need somebody they can talk to about their loss and vent. The therapist should urge the bereaved to discuss whatever they want and anything that can make them feel good.
Re-adjust their outlook on the event
Usually, the bereaved seeking therapy is experiencing trauma because of a reminiscence or the events surrounding the death of a loved one. Thus, the grief counselor should assist them in readjusting their perspective on those memories. It should be effective enough to reframe their relationship with the deceased promoting a healthier grieving.
Address their guilt
Some people experience remorse over their actions or inactions while a loved one was around. To be able to remember their loved one lovingly at other times, a grieving person should be encouraged by a grief counselor to let go of the guilt or even to allow themselves
to forget about them for a short while.
Is online grief therapy effective?
Online grief therapy may work for some but not for all.
Surveys report that people usually find it difficult to build a trustworthy relationship with their therapist over the internet. Additionally, it makes it challenging for the therapist to recognize any nonverbal indications they might see in person. Sometimes, people become conscious after being in front of a screen. So, they might not be able to express themselves well.
However, for many people, online therapy is a convenient and effective way to get their emotions in order and return to normal life.
Does therapy help with grief?
We guess you have the answer to this question by now.
Therapy for grief and loss can be a helping hand during uncertain times. It lets you come out of your loss and accept reality. It helps you to move through a grieving process more quickly and with less disruption to the other areas of your life.
If you are seeking help to get out of a traumatic event, give it a try!