PATHS TO HEALING

Paths to Healing

The grieving process can feel difficult, disorienting, and deeply personal, both for the bereaved and for those supporting them. The pages below may be helpful for you or for someone you love who is grieving.

• What is grief?

• Emotional and physical responses to grief

• Talking about grief

When you are coming to terms with the death of a loved one, you may need to make choices about how to care for your grief, begin healing, and continue living. Restructuring life after loss often helps when it is done deliberately. It takes thought, patience, honesty, and the courage to change. One place to begin is by exploring your talents, resources, options, and any barriers to healing. Grief support groups and counseling can help with self-discovery and provide meaningful connection with others.

After a funeral, many mourners find that friends and family return to their usual routines while they remain in a very different emotional rhythm. Because grief can feel overwhelming, a bereavement group offers a place to express pain while others listen and provide emotional support. Hearing from others who are also navigating loss can make the experience feel less isolating. You may still feel the pain of grief, but you no longer feel as though you are carrying it alone. For that reason, bereavement groups are often a particularly helpful format for coping with grief. See About Group Therapy for Grief for more information.