The Bereavement Journey
Bereavement is a natural process experienced as the result of the death of someone we love.
Over a period of time those of you who are bereaved will encounter a range of emotions.
After the death of a loved one people may initially feel; shocked, guilty, afraid, numb, depressed, angry, full of pain; which often leads to feelings of longing, loneliness hopelessness and fear for the future. These are not unnatural feelings and reactions and everyone experiences grief differently, for there is no ‘correct’ way to grieve.
Bereavement can be viewed as a journey ,for the process of working through grief and the loss of a loved one takes a long time and the way you react to the loss of a loved one will be uniquely personal to you. How we react will be influenced by many different things, including: age, personality, cultural background, religious beliefs, previous experiences of bereavement, personal circumstances, the nature of the death, the relationship you had with the person who died.
Everyone will have their own way of grieving and coping with the loss. Over time most people will work through the grieving process with the help of family, loved ones and friends.
Life will never be the same again after a bereavement, but the grief and pain should lessen. There should come a time when you are able to adapt and adjust and cope with life without the person who has died. When a person we are close to dies we can find meaning in life again, but without forgetting their meaning for us.
‘The reality is you will grieve forever. You will not ‘get over’ the loss of a loved one; you will learn to live with it. You will heal and you will rebuild yourself around the loss you have suffered. You will be whole again but you will never be the same again. Nor should you be the same, nor should you want to.’ Elisabeth Kubler-Ross