Overcoming Loss
Overcoming loss, at whatever level, is about going through the process of grieving. Grieving is the emotional and life adjustment one goes through after a loss. It is different for everyone, as is the time that it may take. Grieving a loss is not always exclusively related to death, but there is often a feeling of loss of control. The stages (normally including denial, anger, depression and acceptance) are one’s attempt to process change and protect ourselves while adapting to a new reality. Depression is usually the longest and most difficult stage of grief. What brings one out of that depression is when they allow themselves to experience their very deepest sadness. It’s when we reach a place where we accept the loss and make some meaning of it for ourselves that we are able to move on. Perhaps the most painful kind of love is grief, and the confusion is caused by not knowing how to love someone who is gone. The following information/links and resources will hopefully give more depth to understanding and overcoming loss, and help move the process along more quickly for you and those you love.
Penn Medicine, Bereavement Services
Penn Medice, Rituals for Healing Grief: Connection, Transition & Transformation