Grief and Loss Articles

My earliest memory involving Michael Jackson was when I was seven years old. It was Christmas in the early 90's. I don't remember what else my brother and I received as presents that year, but one of them was the album Dangerous on cassette. I can still remember the intricately illustrated--and now iconic--cassette tape cover of Michael Jackson's eyes peering out behind a fantastical prism of animals, jewels and doorways. My older brother and I were ecstatic--and I was probab

I recently posted a column here about a line of cancer greeting cards that became controversial when a media analyst posited on the Today Show that such cards go too far. The analyst maintained that friends should know what to write and not have to depend on canned messages. I disagree; the reason I advocate for those impacted by cancer is that so many people feel uncomfortable around the ill, don’t know what to say, and may even stay away out of fear of causing harm.nnLast

Several times over the past few years I began to keep a gratitude journal. I bought a special notebook and pen and kept them by my bed. I wrote for a few days. Then I would forget for a day. Then I would stop completely. Last year I made a commitment to myself to write in my journal for 21 ...

Death due to suicide is probably the most complex grieving experience we ever have to deal with. When a loved one commits suicide we are left wondering Why? Over and over that simple question just keeps coming up – Why? Why would someone we love do that to themselves? What was going on in their mind that this was their only way out? Did I miss something in their behavior that could have warned me of this possibility? I feel lost and confused, and maybe even guilty. I cannot

Each one of us has an individual style of coping grief and loss. A person who is grieving often feels so isolated or lonely in their grief. It may decrease their self esteem and after that they lose social activities and support from others. If they will do this kind of thing, their shock will never fade away. Have you ever encountered a person who never goes out of their shell since they experienced grief and loss? Experiences with their grief and loss have influenced them n

When you meet someone for the first time and get to know them, you're sending them some of your energy. That energy carries information about you. Sending it to them is your way of letting them know who you are. They receive it, absorb it, and send you some of their energy as well. This back and forth continues, forming an energetic connection between the two of you. Your relationship / friendship, etc, with that person takes place within this ever moving, ever changing conne

With the aging baby boomer population, many people are facing the death of a loved one for the first time in their lives. Americans have often been educated to achieve and succeed. Set goals that are specific, measurable, tracked, and take the steps needed to accomplish the goal within a clearly defined time-frame. Success is a wonderful thing but it can leave people with a false sense of control. This can actually work against them emotionally in times of significant person

Sometimes life seems to become a giant “to do” list. It’s just about getting done and checking things off the list. We forget about the journey and focus solely on the end result. Then we experience frustration or annoyance over any delays in reaching the projected end result.nnThe same thing can happen when we are grieving. Life can become about making it to the end of the day. Life can become about getting back home, pulling the blinds and curling up on the couch.nnTh

“Happy” holidays? Let’s face it… the holidays can be the hardest time of the year by a longshot after you’ve lost someone dear to you. In a time where friends and family are meant to gather together, it’s all too easy to focus on the one face that’s missing from the picture. To top it all off, we’re now nine months into a worldwide pandemic that seems set on keeping us apart from those we would usually spend quality time with right about now. Trust me when I s

The thought and feeling that our loved one is going to die is never a consoling fact. Hence, anticipating grief is not an easy thing to do for everyone else involved. Anticipating grief is the period during which a family member or a patient is expected to die. This sorrow is somewhat the same to the after-effects of losing someone you love. The emotions felt are the same feeling of loss and it just hurts as bad. It is no less different than when one has gone through a sudden

Never would I have dreamed that nearly sixteen-years after my own miscarriage, I'd be the author of a book about miscarriage, healing and recovery, and host of a website which helps women, and their families, who have suffered either one miscarriage-or more than one. Yet, here I am, reading ...

While I would not say that I am a people pleaser, I would say that I prefer to avoid conflict. In fact, I really dislike conflict.nnThis desire to avoid conflict has led me to compromise my truth, especially after I lost my husband.nnSomeone would ask me how I was doing. At first I tried to be honest. Maybe I had just found something of meaning that belonged to my husband. Maybe I had been crying, wrapped up in a blanket on the couch. Maybe I had been missing our life togethe

In my life as a psychic medium, I receive many calls and emails from people who have recently lost loved ones. Some people, in deep grief, can hardly function and it is understandable. It is important for all of us to remember than if we or people we know cannot function due to grief, a trip to the doctor is called for. When sadness grips us there are all kinds of physical and emotional reactions that may need medical treatment. Spiritual help is also needed when we are in de

Tragedy comes unannounced. At any given moment, or turn in our lives, we may face upheaval, be that a family tragedy, a distressing piece of information, a health scare, or any situation that may lead one to feel a sense of loss and despair.nn Nobody is immune to those twists that life may take at the most inopportune moments. For how can any moment ever be opportune for a tragedy to strike? These realities are unwelcome, but they exist nonetheless in each of our lives at som

There are times in our lives that inevitably we will become face-to-face with grief. Or somebody and anybody in grief for that matter. Friends and family are there ready to support and help loved ones, and helpers often alleviate those who are grieving. There are some practical suggestions on how to give appropriate help in their trying times of sorrow. 1.) Allow the grievers to grieve. With your presence, you can be of crucial help even just to lessen the pain and agony they

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