What is grief?
See below for definitions for complicated, traumatic, anticipatory, ambiguous loss and disenfranchised grief.
Grief may also include physical symptoms such as shock, numbness, loss of appetite, nausea, sleep disturbances, loss of libido, and many general aches and pains.
In complicated grief there may be more severe symptoms such as those that occur in post traumatic stress disorder and it tends to go on for longer. Read about how to deal with it here.
See also our page of beautiful definitions of grief from our colleagues and experts.
Grief can be for:
Loss of a baby, child or teenager
Loss of a twin
Loss of a young adult
Loss of a brother, sister, best friend
No one bereavement is ever like another. There can be death after a long illness, sudden death, accidents, suicide, overdose or self-harm. Loved ones are lost after a murder, or they can just disappear and no-one knows whether they are alive or dead.
Read more about bereavement and mourning
Learn about the causes and how to prevent and cope with suicide
Anticipatory grief is for the loss of someone who hasn't died yet, or it can be for yourself if you have a terminal illness.
Examples of anticipatory grief are for:
Read more about anticipatory grief.
If you have a loved one with Alzheimer's disease, you might find my book useful. Click on the image for more information.
As well as grief for someone who has died or disappeared, there are many other losses in life which can cause serious emotions of grief. People often don’t realise that you are suffering from grief in these situations, and this is sometimes referred to as disenfranchised grief.
We have a long list of pages of examples of disenfranchised grief here.
The most obvious type of ambiguous loss, a term which was coined by Dr Pauline Boss, refers to missing persons. It can also be grief when children leave home, or a relationship ends.
Traumatic grief occurs usually after sudden violent loss from major natural disasters, war, major transport disasters or terrorist attacks.
See our page on 'Veterans' Grief' for how to cope.
See also Loss of a Home through Natural Disaster.
It also occurs after violent deaths by murder, which can evoke many complicated emotions of bitterness, hate and revenge towards the murderer as well as the normal emotions of grief.
This is grief that does not resolve itself naturally but seriously affects the person’s ability to function. It usually requires treatment.
Complicated grief may often be associated with traumatic grief, but often occurs in situations where the person is not able to acknowledge or seek support for their grief.
Learn how to deal with complicated grief here.
Definitions of Grief by the Experts
Elizabeth Kubler-Ross and the 5 Stages of Grief
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Do you feel alone and sad with no support and no idea how to move forward? It can be tough when you are stuck in grief to find the motivation to get the most out of your precious life.
Online counseling can help by giving you that support so you don't feel so alone. You can have someone to talk to anytime you like, a kind and understanding person who will help you to find meaning in life again, to treasure the memories of your loved one without being overwhelmed and to enjoy your activities, family and friends again.
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Try a gentle hypnotherapy track to relax the mind. Learn how self-hypnosis can help you cope with grief at any time of the day or night.
Sales from our pages result in a small commission to us which helps us to continue our work supporting the grieving.
Check out our lovely range of memorial jewelry for any lost loved one. Pendants, necklaces, rings or bracelets, we have them all in all kinds of styles. Choose for yourself or buy as a sympathy gift.
Honour your loved one with their own memorial website. Share photos, videos, memories and more with your family and friends in a permanent online website. Free for basic plan with no ads.
For USA Residents:
Please help our colleagues at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, USA by joining in their research study:
Losing a child to cancer is devastating, and there is a critical need to develop effective supports.
A federally-funded study in the United States (US) evaluating different types of support for bereaved parents is currently seeking participants. Parents residing in the US may be eligible if they lost a child diagnosed with cancer at least 6 months ago and live in one of the following states: NY, NJ, PA, CT, FL, or TN (other eligible states are being added, please complete the survey to check with us).
To find out if you may be eligible, please click here, visit our website at bereavedparentsupportstudy.com, or email us at parentstudy@mskcc.org.
Our free downloadable and printable document "The 10 Most Important Things You Can Do To Survive Your Grief And Get On With Life" will help you to be positive day to day.
The 10 points are laid out like a poem on two pretty pages which you can pin on your fridge door to help you every day!
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