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Facing Loss:
Healing of Acute Grief
| Course Number |
LWH721 |
| Objectives |
At the end of this course, you will
1. how to
face loss, sorrow and grief, 2. the 5 stages of grief 3. the
healing of grief.
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| Credit Hours and Fee |
3.0 CE Credit Hours with a fee of $24.00 |
| Instructor |
Rudolf Klimes, PhD (Indiana University), MPH
(Johns Hopkins University);
Adjunct Professor at Folsom Lake
College, Folsom CA. |
Welcome
to this
3-contact-hour Continuing Education course
(RN-CEP 11430, MFT- PCE
39) with instant online processing
and certification 24/7. Study the course below, take the 12-question
multiple-choice
TEST, register and pay online. If
you score 75% or above, you may print your CE certificate on your printer as
soon as you finish.
If you have difficulty printing your certificate,
click here.
You may retake the test once.
Do
the following for self-study. Do not submit the answers.
If you try you can get over your grief in a hurry.
Grief is personal. Don't let others tell you how to grieve.
Grief affects you physically, emotionally, socially, mentally and
spiritually.
Grief has the potential for changing you and your perspective.
1. How
to face loss, sorrow and grief
People cope with the loss of a loved one in many ways. For some, the
experience may lead to personal growth, even though it is a difficult and trying
time. There is no right way of coping with death. The way a person grieves
depends on the personality of that person and the relationship with the person
who has died. How a person copes with grief is affected by the experience with
cancer, the way the disease progressed, the person's cultural and religious
background, coping skills, mental history, support systems, and the person's
social and financial status.
The terms bereavement, grief, and mourning are often used in place of each
other, but they have different meanings. Bereavement is the state of having
suffered a loss and experiencing many emotions and changes. The time spent in a
period of bereavement depends on how attached the person was to the person who
died, and how much time was spent anticipating the loss.
Grief is the normal process of reacting to the loss. Grief reactions may be
felt in response to physical losses (for example, a death) or in response to
symbolic or social losses (for example, divorce or loss of a job). Each type of
loss means the person has had something taken away. As a family goes through a
cancer illness, many losses are experienced, and each triggers its own grief
reaction. Grief may be experienced as a mental, physical, social, or emotional
reaction. Mental reactions can include anger, guilt, anxiety, sadness, and
despair. Physical reactions can include sleeping problems, changes in appetite,
physical problems, or illness. Social reactions can include feelings about
taking care of others in the family, seeing family or friends, or returning to
work. As with bereavement, grief processes depend on the relationship with the
person who died, the situation surrounding the death, and the person's
attachment to the person who died. Grief may be described as the presence of
physical problems, constant thoughts of the person who died, guilt, hostility,
and a change in the way one normally acts.
Mourning consists of the conscious, unconscious, and cultural reactions to
loss. Mourning includes the process of incorporating the experience of loss into
ongoing life. Mourning is also influenced by cultural customs, rituals, and
society's rules for coping with loss.
"Grief work" includes the processes that a mourner needs to
complete before resuming daily life. These processes include separating from the
person who died, readjusting to a world without him or her, and forming new
relationships. To separate from the person who died, a person must find another
way to redirect the emotional energy that was given to the loved one. This does
not mean the person was not loved or should be forgotten, but that the mourner
needs to turn to others for emotional satisfaction. The mourner's roles,
identity, and skills may need to change to readjust to living in a world without
the person who died. The mourner must give other people or activities the
emotional energy that was once given to the person who died in order to redirect
emotional energy.
People who are grieving often feel extremely tired because the process of
grieving usually requires physical and emotional energy. The grief they are
feeling is not just for the person who died, but also for the unfulfilled wishes
and plans for the relationship with the person. Death often reminds people of
past losses or separations. Mourning may be described as having three phases,
including the urge to bring back the person who died, disorganization and
sadness, and reorganization. Source
It is not easy to cope after a loved one dies. You will mourn and
grieve. Mourning is the natural process you go through to accept a major
loss. Mourning may include religious traditions honoring the dead or gathering
with friends and family to share your loss. Mourning is personal and may
last months or years.
Grieving is the outward expression of your loss. Your grief is likely
to be expressed physically, emotionally, and psychologically. For instance,
crying is a physical expression, while depression is a psychological expression.
It is very important to allow yourself to express these feelings. Often,
death is a subject that is avoided, ignored or denied. At first it may seem
helpful to separate yourself from the pain, but you cannot avoid grieving
forever. Someday those feelings will need to be resolved or they may cause
physical or emotional illness.
Many people report physical symptoms that accompany grief. Stomach pain, loss
of appetite, intestinal upsets, sleep disturbances and loss of energy are all
common symptoms of acute grief. Of all life’s stresses, mourning can seriously
test your natural defense systems. Existing illnesses may worsen or new
conditions may develop.
Profound emotional reactions may occur. These reactions include anxiety
attacks, chronic fatigue, depression and thoughts of suicide. An obsession with
the deceased is also a common reaction to death.
ERIC_NO:
ED355602,
Change, Loss, Grief and Communication.
Geddes, LaDonna McMurray,
1992
ABSTRACT:
Change may be personal, professional, social, or spiritual; or, all aspects of
life may be affected simultaneously. Coping with change requires directing and
controlling individual resources. Change reactions can be described as: (1) a
sense of loss as the transition is experienced; (2) a need to grieve due to the
loss experienced; and (3) a need to complete the grief process, so that closure
takes place. Individuals or organizations that refuse to change and adapt their
paradigms or mission become non-existent. The idea of loss as the result of
on-going change is apparent in organizational life whether the organization is
corporate, educational, social, or spiritual in nature. On the professional
level, downsizing, reorganization, and technology have become buzzwords in
modern corporate organizations. Retraining and adaptation to education as a
lifelong process are challenging the traditional assumptions of the three stages
of life--education, work, and retirement. Process is an important concept
associated with change (becoming different) and it involves both moving from the
known to the unknown and making corresponding adjustments and modifications.
Indicators associated with change suggest that throughout the process of change
and change management, the communication behaviors of an individual become more
inner-directed and less tolerant of others. Research suggests that support is
perceived only when parallel experiences are shared. In addition to research,
however, people need to be taught how to grieve and that grieving is an
acceptable form of behavior in any type of loss situation.
2. The
5 stages of grief
The 5 stages of grief,
according to Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, are:
Shock:
experiences of shortness of breath, tightness in the throat, a need to sigh,
muscular limpness, and loss of appetite occur in the first hours after a loss is
experienced. As the shock abates, the physical symptoms lose their intensity and
we begin to absorb reality. If there is a persistent wish during grief, it is
that the loss could be reversed.
Denial allows
the slow assimilation of the loss. At first the thought is that the report must
be wrong. There is often the feeling that a mistake has been made or that the
person will walk through the door at any minute. As time passes and preparation
for change or for the funeral begins, reality is faced.
Bargaining and self
blaming requires a greater level of acknowledgment that the loss has
occurred, but resistance lingers to the extent that we attempt to make deals to
reverse fate. There is a litany of "I should have's," such as, "I
should have paid more attention, said something positive, been more
patient."
Anger
and anxiety are emotional signals that our psychological
equilibrium is out of sync. A loss stirs feelings of rejection and powerlessness
that lead to feeling anxious. In the first hours or days, feeling restless and
unable to sleep is common. Anger at the loss, the one who is gone, the people
who made the decision, all are normal reactions to loss. Anger often causes the
most consternation as it is an emotion with which many are uncomfortable. Anger
is a healthy indication that we are beginning to accept the facts.
Acceptance occurs with time. The realization sets in that the situation is not going to be
the same as before, or that the person is not going to return and there is
nothing that could have been done to change the outcome. There will be moments
when a return to any or all of the stages occurs, yet accepting the loss allows
us to move forward in the grief process. (Source: www.umich.edu
)
ERIC_NO:
ED392535,
Understanding Grief & Loss.
Parker, Judith,
1995
ABSTRACT:
Although death is the one certainty in life, death or the grieving process is
rarely discussed. Grief includes physical, emotional, spiritual, and
psychological reactions to loss, and is not limited to feelings about death.
Grief can be the response to loss of home or country, separation or
displacement, and changes resulting from new life stages. This issue of the ACEA
Resource series gives practical information for Australian early childhood
workers in helping children cope with grief, death, and loss. Definitions are
given for loss, grief, and bereavement. Topics covered include: (1) the adult
perspective; (2) the child's perspective; (3) how to talk to a child about
death; (4) predictable and normal reactions to death; (5) the death of a
sibling; (6) the chronically ill child; (7) the loss of a pet; (8) cultural
influences on grief, asserting the importance of understanding different
traditions associated with loss and grief; (9) the early childhood educator's
responsibilities, including recognizing feelings, explaining clearly what has
happened, monitoring vulnerable children and adults, and establishing an ongoing
program that acknowledges the need to grieve; and (10) books for children
dealing with loss, death, and grief.
3.
The healing of grief
Coping with death is vital to your mental health. It is only natural to
experience grief when a loved one dies. The best thing you can do is allow
yourself to grieve. There are many ways to cope effectively with your pain.
·
Seek out caring people. Find relatives and friends
who can understand your feelings of loss. Join support groups with others who
are experiencing similar losses.
·
Express your feelings.
Tell others how you are feeling; it will help you to work through the grieving
process.
·
Take care of your health.
Maintain regular contact with your family physician and be sure to eat well and
get plenty of rest. Be aware of the danger of developing a dependence on
medication or alcohol to deal with your grief.
·
Accept that life is for the living.
It takes effort to begin to live again in the present and not dwell on the past.
·
Postpone major life changes.
Try to hold off on making any major changes, such as moving, remarrying,
changing jobs or having another child. You should give yourself time to adjust
to your loss.
·
Be patient.
It can take months or even years to absorb a major loss and accept your changed
life.
·
Seek outside help when necessary.
If your grief seems like it is too much to bear, seek professional assistance to
help work through your grief. It’s a sign of strength, not weakness, to seek
help.
One of
my all time favorite quotes, which has gotten me through many tough times is
from Maria Von Trapp:
Whenever God closes a door,
he opens a window
In
grief therapy, six tasks may be used to help a mourner work
through grief: 1) develop the ability to experience, express, and adjust to
painful grief- related changes, 2) find effective ways to cope with painful
changes, 3) establish a continuing relationship with the person who died, 4)
stay healthy and keep functioning, 5) reestablish relationships and understand
that others may have difficulty empathizing with the grief they experience, and
6) develop a healthy image of oneself and the world.
Complicated
or unresolved grief may appear as a complete absence of grief
and mourning, an ongoing inability to experience normal grief reactions, delayed
grief, conflicted grief, or chronic grief. Factors that contribute to the chance
that one may experience complicated grief include the suddenness of the death,
the gender of the person in mourning, and the relationship to the deceased (for
example, an intense, extremely close, or very contradictory relationship). Grief
reactions that turn into major depression should be treated with both drug and
psychological therapy. One who avoids any reminders of the person who died, who
constantly thinks or dreams about the person who died, and who gets scared and
panics easily at any reminders of the person who died may be suffering from
post-traumatic stress disorder. Substance abuse may occur, frequently in an
attempt to avoid painful feelings about the loss and symptoms (such as
sleeplessness), and can also be treated with drugs and psychological therapy. Source
ERIC_NO:
ED330947,
Grief Counseling and Grief Therapy: A
Cognitive-Behavioral Perspective.
Maglio, Christopher J.,
1991
ABSTRACT:
This document applies the Cognitive-Behavioral Approach to grief counseling and
grief therapy. Although most people are able to work through their grief with
support from family and friends, some people may not want to burden loved ones
with their loss. Grief counseling or grief therapy is best used by those
individuals who need the opportunity to talk confidentially and who want help
while working through the stages of grief. Grief counseling emphasizes the need
to increase the reality of loss, to help the client deal with expressed and
latent affect and overcome various impediments to readjustment, and to encourage
the client to make a healthy emotional withdrawal from the deceased and feel
comfortable reinvesting in another relationship. Grief therapy, on the other
hand, strives to identify and resolve conflicts of separation which preclude
completion of the mourning tasks. Grief therapy is often used when a client
fails to grieve or has trouble resolving feelings. It emphasizes the therapeutic
goal of achieving emotional wellness after the loss of a significant other
through the grieving process. Specific cognitive-behavioral techniques for both
grief counseling and grief therapy are available. In grief therapy and grief
counseling, there may be a tendency to overlook or disregard unconscious
processes, view feelings as entities to be controlled, and have a judgmental
differentiation between therapist and client. Therefore, cognitive-behavioral
approaches to grief may not be well suited for all clients.
4.
Grief library
www.griefnet.org
Test
Study this web-site for 3 hours for an
approved (RN-CEP 11430, MFT- PCE 39) 3-hours Continuing Education Certificate
(0.3 CEUs). Click here for the self-correcting test
& online payment, and 2) receive your
certificate immediately online. All is online, nothing by post-mail.
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