Grief is the reaction to any type of loss. The truth is everyone’s grief will look different, although there are common emotional and physical symptoms of grieving. There is no ‘normal’ timetable for grief to last but if it is leading to other problems like depression and anxiety, professional help may be required.
Grief is the strong overwhelming reaction we have to loss. Commonly, this can be due to the loss of a loved one but it can also be due to other reasons such as:
Grief can be devastating and have a significant impact on emotions, and each person will have a different way of dealing with it. Some people feel sad and cry, while others may feel numb and cut off from emotion altogether. Anger and guilt are also commonplace. A person may feel angry at the situation they have been left with, or feel guilty that they did not try harder in some way.
Grief can also have a physical impact on our bodies due to changes in factors such as appetite and sleep. This can lead to the person becoming run down and more susceptible to physical illness.
There are different types of grief. The most common ones are:
Following a loss, it is normal to experience grief and symptoms like sadness and loneliness. With time, these symptoms tend to improve. When they do not, a person may be suffering from complicated grief. This is when someone is stuck in the grieving process and may need help to move forward
Complicated grief -This is when grieving occurs before the actual loss has happened. Anticipatory grief can relate to an upcoming situation, where the person is expecting to grieve e.g. the death of someone who is terminally ill
Anticipatory grief -This type of grief occurs when someone feels their grief is devalued because the loss may be something that others may not deem significant or maybe stigmatised in some way. This includes the loss of a pet, being upset about someone you did not know very well, or something hidden like a miscarriage
Disenfranchised grief -Grief occurs in response to any type of loss. Bereavement is one type of loss and is specifically related to the death of someone.
The length of the bereavement process may vary for a number of reasons, but a significant factor is the relationship between the bereaved and the deceased. There is no right or wrong timeframe for the bereavement process to take place, however, symptoms tend to get easier with time.
If symptoms are not subsiding and continually interfering with daily functioning, you may be experiencing complicated grief.
– Sadness and crying
– Anxiety
– Loneliness
– Denial
– Worry
– Regret
– Anger
– Confusion
– Feeling numb
– Feeling like life is unfulfilling
– Disturbed sleep or insomnia
– Changes to appetite e.g. eating more or less than usual
– Physical pain e.g. chest pain or stomach issues
– Anxiety e.g. feelings of breathlessness
– Feeling generally unwell e.g. aches and pains
Kubler-Ross identified that grief occurs in five stages, but these stages do not always happen in a linear order:
This tends to be the final stage of grief when a person starts to feel ready to move forward
Acceptance -Therapy for grief and bereavement helps you to come to terms with your loss, providing a contained space to reflect:
ACT helps by supporting you to come to terms with the things that cannot be changed whilst staying true to your values. It helps teach skills in mindfulness so you can stay present through your grief as you learn to adjust to your loss.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) - Acceptance & Commitment TherapyEMDR therapy can help support grief when a loss has been traumatic. Perhaps the loss was unexpected or distressing in some way. When this is the case, EMDR can help to process the trauma which can often help to support the grieving process.
Eye Movement Desensitisation Reprocessing (EMDR) - EMDR TherapyCompassion Focused Therapy can help bring a compassionate stance to loss. CFT can support the grieving process by helping build coping and resilience towards what is difficult.
Often the healing comes slowly and the emotional pain starts to ease, and with time, people can start to move forward.
At Turning Tides, our team of Psychologists are highly trained and have many years of experience working with common mental health conditions such as grief.
Our psychologists are all fully qualified in using a range of different approaches that can help manage grief and loss and they can integrate aspects of different approaches to ensure your sessions meet your individual needs.
Our psychologists can help you to understand your grief and loss, exploring some of the different factors that are contributing to how you are currently feeling. Based on these individual factors, they will teach you strategies to effectively manage your grief and allow you to move forward in your life.
We offer regular face-to-face appointments at our modern and comfortable clinic in Hoult’s Yard, Newcastle or we can offer online therapy via Zoom if you live further afield or have a preference for online sessions.
We have tried to keep our pricing as simple as possible. We charge £120 for a 60-minute appointment, regardless of whether this is an assessment or therapy session. Our fees are the same for face-to-face appointments and online appointments as you will receive the same high standard of care from our psychologists, regardless of how it is delivered.
A psychologist will then be in touch to arrange a free 15-minute no-obligation call, where we can discuss your requirements in more detail and you can get a feel for whether Turning Tides is the right psychology practice for you.
If we’re not right for you, we’ll try and signpost you to somewhere that is.
Please note – Turning Tides is not a crisis service, and if you feel you need urgent support or are experiencing a mental health crisis then it is important that you contact your GP if they are available, or attend A&E.