Grief counseling is a form of psychotherapy that tries to assist people in dealing with their physical, emotional and social and spiritual and cognitive reaction if loss. These feeling are frequently associated with the death of a loved one. But they can also be influenced by any life‑altering loss ex- divorce home, foreclosure or jobless, losing a loved one is one of life’s most traumatic situations. Grief affects everyone differently. Grief can manifest itself in a variety of ways and follow us around unconsciously throughout our lives. It’s isolating, draining and difficult to comprehend. The mysteries of “Why did it happen†Di I do anything wrong, how could I have prevent it and “life seemed to have taken vengeance on me “are just a few of the natural mental negotiation that run through one’s mind like a tape.

WHAT IS GRIEF?

Grief is an emotional response to severe lost such as the death of a loved one or the loss of independence in daily tasks. People may use words like†sorrow†and†heartache†to describe how they feel when they are grieving. Whether a person loses a loved one, a beloved anima a prized possession. Or a cherished way of life (such as job, marriage or good health). Naturally, there will be some measure of grief. Anticipatory grief is grief that occurs in anticipation of future loss. People may experience anticipatory mourning for a dying loved one or for impending functional deficits as a result of increasing illness. Similarly, both children and adults are affected by the loss of a loved one due to a pending move or divorce. Anticipatory grieving aids people in preparing for such losses.

WHAT IS GRIEVING?

Grieving is the emotional and life adjustment process that follow a loss. Bereavement is the process of grieving after; the death of a loved one. Grieving is a unique experience that varies according to the person and the nature of the loss. The way one person grieves will be different from how another person grieves. Grief myths claim that the grieving process takes a year. There is no such thing as a “typical and expected†grieving period. In a matter of weeks or months, some people acclimatize to a new life. Others take a year or their death was unexpected and terrible. Some people acclimatize to their new lives in weeks or months. Others take a year or more, especially if their daily lives have been drastically altered or if their death was unexpected and painful.

WHAT ARE THE STAGES OF GRIEF?

Stage1- Denial and disbelief are element of the first stage of grief in which a person struggles to accept the reality of loss. Denying the occurrence appears to be the most comfortable option. This is a transient protective mechanism that has evolved in response to the overpowering emotions that one is experiencing. It may manifest as ideas, such as “this is surreal†or this is a dream

Stage2-This is the stage of grieving when anger takes over and a person looks for excuses to justify the incident as reality sets in. some of the methods used to make sense are questioning one’s involvement in generating the tragedy and blaming life.

Stage3-Bargaining is a difficult task. It entails examining the circumstance and, finally, accepting the fact that the loss has occurred. At this point, the mind can be dominated with the thought “I’ll do everything to undo this pastâ€

 Stage 4- Sadness and depression may emerge as a struggle to return to normalcy in one’s life. Withdrawal, excessive sobbing and inability to continue living are all common feelings at this time. Crying, sleep problem and loss of appetite are all symptoms of depressions. You could feel helpless remorseful and lonely.

Stage5- Acceptance brings grief cycle to a close it serves as a reminder to me that although the loss has occurred and my life has changed. It will pick up the pieces and continue to cope. It is unchangeable even if you’re still depressed you can start moving forward with your life. It is not required that these processes take place in this order. There is no predetermined pattern; you can skip a level go back and forth between them. Or be in two phases at the same time. The return of a stage can be triggered by reminders of your loss, such as the anniversary of death or a familiar song. Grief affects each person differently, and it takes each person a varied amount of time to recover.

WHAT SIGNS DO YOU HAVE THAT YOU’RE GRIEVING?

When a loved one passes away. We experience a wide range of emotions sadness emptiness and hopelessness pervades the atmosphere. A persistent void is void is sensed which is difficult to fill. The individual is occasionally perplexed and find it difficult to accept reality. There’s also complicated grief, which includes feeling of guilt, longing, remorse and wrath directed not only towards oneself but also at the decreased. People might have varied degrees of cognitive processes which trying to make sense of their loss, such as “It’s okay lived a wonderful life†to “It wasn’t her time yet†the culpability for the departure also varies. In certain cases the individual is relieved that the deceased has died. Such as when the person was suffering from a fatal illness such as cancer.

If you experience any of following symptoms. You are grieving.

Emotional symptoms

• Anger
• Numbness
• Crying uncontrollably
• Irritability has increased
• Detachment
• Lack of motivation to achieve personal goal or plans.
• A diminished feeling of self‑identity.
• Avoidance of reminders of the departed preoccupation with loss. Such as obsessive rehearsal of the events of death.
• Isolation and detachment from surviving friends and relatives friends & relatives.
• Inability to express or feel joy.

Sign of behaviors

• In the stomach, there is a â€œhollownessâ€
• Chest or throat constriction
• Sleep deprivation or oversleeping
• Noise sensitivity is excessive
• Shortness of breath is a common symptom
• Headaches
• Pain in the chest
• Muscle deterioration
• Feeling fatigue

Complications of grief and grieving

Depression anxiety, suicidal thought and physical sickness are all complication that can arise from grief.

• These are the kind of mourning reactions that usually necessitate social work assistance (or, depending on the clients request, the involvement of other helping professionals.

When a person is mourning depression is the most prevalent ailment that might arise.

• Adult who have experienced “divorce or the death of spouse†are more likely to suffer from depression.
• It’s also fairly prevalent when a persistent sickness or disability developed or disability develops.

During the grieving process, Anxiety is also frequent. Anxiety on the other hand, can be harmful.

• Last longer than anticipated.
• It becomes so intense that it interfaces with one’s ability to function.
• Include tremendous guilt.

Anxiety like this contributes to a more complicated grief reaction a can make things worse.

• Make individual feel as if their emotions are slipping away from the overwhelming terror is also a common occurrence.
• Physical symptoms (anxiety attacks) are triggered “which could be misinterpreted for a heart attack.
• People are prone to experience acute fear or horror during an anxiety attack. Chest discomforts or stiffness, difficulty breathing changes in heart rate, dizziness perspiration and shaking.

Suicide thought

When people are grieving, they may consider taking their own lives, especially if they have lost a spouse or a close friend to suicide.

• If you’ve ever been depressed or suicidal thought, you’re more likely to have suicidal thoughts when you’re grieving.
• Suicide thoughts must be taken seriously.
• If a person is considering suicide, the threat of carrying out the plan is quite serious.
• Has the ability to commit suicide or cause harm to another person (through weapons or medication)
• Has decided on a time and location for suicide.
• There is no alternative way to stop his or suffering, according to him or her.

Physical illness

Grief affects the immune system and makes people more susceptible to sickness, aches and pain in general.

• People with long term medical issues when grieving the loss of loved one. People may experience a recurrence exacerbation of symptoms.
• Adults who have lost a loved one may have new health issues.

IN GRIEF COUNSELOR, WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT?

Making history- your counselor will build rapport with you at this stage and offer you with you at this stage and offer you with secure atmosphere in which to discuss your feelings and pain following a loss. The first session focuses on recognizing the seriousness of the emotions. It will enable you to form a trusting relationship with your therapist and acquire the knowledge that you are not alone on this trip and that you have a trustworthy someone to lead you through the difficult time.

Defining objectives – you and your therapist worked together to identify the goals you want to attain via treatment. Accepting the loss, dealing with the effects (physical or Psychological) returning to daily routine or even developing the ability to communicate the anguish are all options. Many people seek grief counseling because they are unable to express their pain with their family or friends (especially the male head of the family). In such cases counseling becomes a safe space for them free of judgments or biases.

Developing the expression –If you are feeling emotional numbness or a residual shock as a result of the loss and need help returning to a regular life. Your counselor can aid you in dealing with these perplexing and overpowering emotions. Grief counseling will focus on assisting you in identifying and expressing your thoughts about the loss.

Beginning to cope- As previously noted, grief can be accompanied by physical and emotional symptoms, which make it difficult to function in daily life. It’s easy to feel overwhelmed by day to day tasks. In these circumstances, grief therapy may concentrate on specific coping techniques to assist you in resuming some sense of normalcy in your daily routine. If a person’s sleep patterns are disrupted, bereavement therapy may include a visit with their physician to help with temporary sleep solutions, behavioral methods may be employed as interim remedy to help the person return to components of normal daily life are having problems getting to work on time.

Getting Acknowledged- As you progress through treatment, your counselor will walk you through the five stages of grieving and assist you in reaching the final stage. The final step is to acknowledge that a loss has occurred and to determine how to proceed from here. If the individual has not been able to successfully lets go or say goodbye, this phase may include identifying strategies to lets go or say good strategies to let go or say goodbye- under the supervision of your experienced therapist techniques such decreased or having an imaginary chat where you can successfully unburden yourself of the guilt are used many people plagued by nightmares or unsettling dreams about the departed which can be address in grief therapy

Continuation follow-up session to see how each session’s goals impacted me and how well you’re coping with loss, void and emptiness. Because dealing with loss is a process, there may be days when you feel like you’ve gone back to square one therefore, follow-up sessions are necessary to address such days.

WHAT DO GRIEF COUNSELING’S OUTCOMES LOOK LIKE?

• Recognize that grief is a normal part of life
• Being able to move on with one’s life without feeling guilty, guilty or regretful.
• Accepting the individual’s physical and emotional loss
• Being able to recall someone you care about without being overwhelmed.
• Returning to usual day to day activities
• Being able to react normally when there are repercussions of the loss such as the death anniversary or the day of divorce

In a word, grief therapy assists you to make a healthy adjustment after the death, of a loved one or the end of relationship. It’s time to deal with the feelings that are keeping you from feeling happy it’s a tangle of situation, there is no one-size fits all approach to overcoming it. This is a really personal and devastating loss. This path to self, however, can be made easier by investing in one’s own wellbeing or seeking of expert assistance.

BY – SWARNAPRAVA DAS

Masters in Social Work, 1^st Division

N.C. Autonomous College, Jajpur

REFERENCES

https://positivepsychology.com/grief-counseling/

https://www.webmd.com/balance/grief-counseling

https://study.com/academy/lesson/what-is-grief-counseling-definition-techniques.html