Bereavement

Bereavement is a perfectly normal emotion to feel for the loss of a loved one. It is an emotion that most of us will experience at some time in our lives. It is a very complex and personal experience and therefore everyone’s experience of it is different.

For the sake of simplicity and clarity, the Collins Online Dictionary describes bereavement as follows: “Bereavement is the sorrow you feel or the state you are in when a relative or close friend dies.”

Typically, the symptoms of bereavement are shock and disbelief (perhaps a feeling of numbness as well), suffering the pain and sadness of grief, low energy levels, low libido, lack of interest in hobbies or other interests in life and in some extreme cases, nausea, vomiting, loss of weight and chronic fatigue. Many of these symptoms are also experienced by someone experiencing depression and the two conditions are linked in this way. Some people who experience bereavement become depressed and some depressions are the result of a significant negative experience in one’s life.

Bereavement, however, is specifically linked to the death of a loved one and goes beyond mere symptoms. It is a period of adjustment in life that is often made much more difficult by the symptoms one is experiencing. Recovering from a bereavement is about adjusting to the death that one has experienced, about finding a new narrative for the lost loved one and about incorporating the new narrative and one’s feelings of grief, into everyday life. I can help you work towards discovering the best way forward for you and the best way to find piece of mind by offering empathetic, empowering person-centred counselling at this, the start of a new chapter in your life.

“Don’t grieve. Anything you lose comes around in another form.” – Rumi.