Grief & Loss Counseling
We each cope with dying, death, loss, and grief in our own unique and idiosyncratic way. Even close members of the same family often each grieve differently. No matter how sophisticated and in tact we are, the death of a loved one—family or friend, brings us to a place of deep vulnerability that reverberates through the structures of our entire being: physical, psychological, social, and spiritual. How we cope with other life events and how we adapt (or fail to adapt) to our present and future are also affected during this period.
In addition to the death of someone close to us, there are so many other losses that may drop us into the grieving process as well. These may include: the loss of one’s homeland, friends, family, and language (for example, in the case of a move), the loss of security in one’s body (for example, ill-health, catastrophic illness, loss of a limb, loss of strength or beauty with age, etc.), the loss of a life dream (for example, that one will have children, that one’s children will be something they aren’t, that one had a happy childhood), the loss of a coping strategy (for example, the loss of alcohol, drugs, gambling, overeating, etc.), the loss of one’s possessions or one’s job and, thus one’s sense of security.
It used to be thought that “time heals all,” and it is true that often allowing ourselves to take our time to heal, and not pressuring ourselves to “just get over it already (!),”can be quite helpful. However, there are many ways in which therapists and grief counselors can support us and help us to make the process a much gentler one. In prolonged or complicated grief situations, therapy can help us find a way out of something that often seems bottomless. There are specialized techniques and tools that can help us move in a healthy and timely way to resolve conflicts of separation and move toward completion before the grief reaction manifests through some masked somatic or behavioral symptom or in an exaggerated emotional response that makes our lives even more difficult.
We invite you to call us at 714-432-9856 today to set up an appointment so you can start to feel better!
