Grief and Loss Counseling in Denver, Colorado

Bereavement and grief aren’t light-hearted topics. Bereavement refers to the process of recovering from the death of a loved one, and grief is a reaction for any form of loss. Both encompass a wide range of emotions such as fear, anger and deep, deep sadness.

The death of a loved one can be among the most distressing experiences people face. It’s a clear loss with expected and validated feelings of grief and sadness. Many times, however, people can feel significant loss when there isn’t a death. It can be more difficult to recognize and validate these emotions.

Ambiguous loss is a person’s profound sense of loss and sadness that is not associated with a death of a loved one. It can be a loss of emotional connection when a person’s physical presence remains, or when that emotional connection remains but a physical connection is lost. Often, there isn’t a sense of closure.

Ambiguous loss can feel lonely, stressful and confusing. Your feelings need to be validated and the significance of the experience recognized. However, there’s often no formal recognition from others that a loss has occurred — or if others do acknowledge it, they show no recognition that it is of any major significance. You may have intense sorrow, numbness, bitterness, persistent longing, pain, rumination, guilt and anger.

The process of adapting to a loss can dramatically change from person to person, depending on his or her background, beliefs, relationship to the person who’s passed, and other factors.
Common symptoms of grief can be physical, emotional or social.

A few common symptoms in these categories are:

Physical

• Crying and sighing
• Headaches
• Loss of appetite
• Difficulty sleeping
• Weakness
• Fatigue

Emotional

• Feelings of sadness and yearning
• Feelings of worry or anger
• Feelings of frustration or guilt

Social

• Feeling detached from others
• Self-isolation from social contact
• Behaving in ways that are not normal for you

Every grieving experience is different. A person may be able to continue their day-to-day routine after one loss, yet not be able to get out of bed after the loss of someone else. Whatever your personal symptoms are, grief and bereavement counseling have been proven to help.

If you are experiencing grief-related thoughts, behaviors, or feelings that are distressing, please contact me today for a free consultation.