Grief and Loss

Loss and grief are experiences that all of us will confront at some point in our lives.  Grief experiences can feel like waves of emotion — sadness, fear, despair, yearning, confusion — that may be intense in some moments and less potent at other times, changing and perceived differently over time (Kosminsky, 2017).  The intensity of the emotions is often driven by the loss of significant people, things, and love experiences that have shaped our identity and provided us with safety and security. 

While grief has often been conceptualized as relating exclusively to bereavement following the death of a significant person and/or relationship, I believe grief can arise from a number of unwanted or unanticipated life experiences.  As a psychotherapist, I adopt a broader perspective and understanding of grief that is not limited to bereavement.  Some of the issues that may bring about grieving include, but are not limited to:

·       death

·       loss of a significant relationship

·       loss of work or career direction

·       loss of “home” (residence, community, secure environment)

·       loss of identity (work role, family role, existential crisis)

·       unrealized dream

·       loss of material items of emotional or security significance

In therapy sessions, I seek first to honour and legitimize emotional pain associated with your loss.  I then work with you to find healthy ways of relating to the loss experience and create meaning in the grief process.  Over time, this work helps to release the heaviness of the loss feelings so that you can begin to envision a path forward.  The idea is for you to become able to live more comfortably alongside the loss, incorporating the experience into the life that lies ahead for you.

Source

Kosminsky, P. (2017). CBT for grief: clearing cognitive obstacles to healing from loss. Journal of Rational-Emotive & Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, 35, 26–37.