Grief is multi-faceted and can impact every domain of functioning: emotional, physical, cognitive, interpersonal, and spiritual. Grief reactions oscillate in frequency and intensity over time and may include many conflicting experiences. The presence of a positive emotion does not mean you loved someone less. Nor does a difficult anniversary mean you have failed to heal.
One of the biggest misconceptions about grief is that it is only results from death. Death-related loss can be profound, but grief itself is much broader than that. Grief is simply our natural response to the loss of someone or something that mattered to us. That can include the loss of a loved one, but it can also include the loss of a relationship, a job, a pet, a role, a sense of identity, daily routines, or a future we expected to have. Grief is a universal process, but it is also deeply individual. Culture, relationships, prior experiences, and the nature of the loss itself all shape how grief unfolds.
While trauma is something that most people experience (research tells of 70% of U.S. adults will experience at least one traumatic event in their lifetime), loss and grief are universal – which is precisely why I love the opportunity to chat about these very topics. Although these issues may be tough to face, they are the some of the most profound life experiences that connect us all.