Title: An In-Depth Look at the Grieving Process | LoveToKnow
Headings: An In-Depth Look at the Grieving Process
An In-Depth Look at the Grieving Process
The Complexity of Grieving a Loss
Concepts of the Grieving Process
Groups of Symptoms
Examples of Grieving
Factors That Influence the Grieving Process
The Five Stages of Grieving
An Investigation of the Stage Theory of Grieving
Grieving Is Healing

Content: Crying, anger, fear, sadness, sorrow, or despair
Behavioral: Sleeplessness, dreams of the deceased, calling out for the deceased, poor appetite, depression, or anxiety
Cognitive: Disordered thoughts, visual and auditory hallucinations, and preoccupation with the dead
Physical: Lack of energy, chest or generalized pain, difficulty breathing, headaches, or gastrointestinal distress
Other negative responses may include feelings of self-blame, guilt and shame, as someone wonders if she could have done more for a loved one during his life or illness. Amidst the negative responses, some people may even experience relief, joy and laughter because their loved one is no longer suffering. Examples of Grieving
Grieving is not only about the death of a loved one or special person. The process is also triggered by other losses including: A national or international traumatic event
Loss of job, status, or an opportunity, or changes in the workplace
Loss of youth or physical abilities
Response of health caregivers to the death of a patient
Reaction of a child to parent's divorce
Factors That Influence the Grieving Process
According to Dr. Worden, factors that influence the types of symptoms, and the severity and duration of a person's grieving process include: Cultural context, cultural and personal beliefs, and mourning rituals
The type of loss (death versus divorce, job loss, or loss of physical abilities)
The relationship to the deceased
How the person died
Coping skills, resilience and outlook on life
Existing vulnerabilities such as other stressors, previous losses, multiple losses, or a psychological disorder
The Five Stages of Grieving
Adapting Bowlby's four stages of mourning, psychiatrist, Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross first explored her five stages of grieving or mourning theory in her 1969 book, On Death and Dying as a way to understand and teach the process of grieving during dying. She grouped the various emotions, thoughts and behaviors that a griever can experience into five stages for convenience and simplicity.