Anticipatory Grief
Grief and its Effects
Cipriana J Arias
Liberty University
Abstract
Grief and its effects is considered in this paper with the purpose of better understanding how it affects a person. Grief is a natural reaction to loss and change which affects all aspects of a person’s life: the physical, emotional, psychological, behavioral, and spiritual. Grief is not expected but will be experienced in a variety of ways such as experienced, sudden, gradual or anticipated. While most people will experience loss at one time in their lives, not everyone responds in the same way or goes through the same process to recover and heal.
Grief and its Effects Life does not come with a manual on how to cope with grief. Is it possible to escape grief? Unfortunately, grief is one of those inevitable experiences that the majority of people will not escape. Knowledge of the inevitability does not make it easier to accept. Grief is a universal experience and it as unique as each individual that has ever lived. Grief does not discriminate on age, race, or ethnicity. Coping with life becomes more challenging when grief strikes. Although no one wants to experience grief, when it arrives there is hope in healing. There are various things that can cause grief. Some of the reasons for grief are loss of a loved one, a new life direction due to a move, a divorce, a career change or even the loss of a dream (Grief, 2011). Coping and healing from grief can be one of the most difficult things a person will deal with in their life and there are resources to aid those who experience it’s effects. First of all, there is hope in healing when grief is expressed . Helpguide.org put it this way, “Grief that is expressed and experienced has the potential for healing which can eventually strengthen and enrich life (“Grief,” n.d., para. 1). A holistic look on how grief can affect a persons’s life can give the best picture when describing the process of grief. In her
Cipriana J Arias
Liberty University
Abstract
Grief and its effects is considered in this paper with the purpose of better understanding how it affects a person. Grief is a natural reaction to loss and change which affects all aspects of a person’s life: the physical, emotional, psychological, behavioral, and spiritual. Grief is not expected but will be experienced in a variety of ways such as experienced, sudden, gradual or anticipated. While most people will experience loss at one time in their lives, not everyone responds in the same way or goes through the same process to recover and heal.
Grief and its Effects Life does not come with a manual on how to cope with grief. Is it possible to escape grief? Unfortunately, grief is one of those inevitable experiences that the majority of people will not escape. Knowledge of the inevitability does not make it easier to accept. Grief is a universal experience and it as unique as each individual that has ever lived. Grief does not discriminate on age, race, or ethnicity. Coping with life becomes more challenging when grief strikes. Although no one wants to experience grief, when it arrives there is hope in healing. There are various things that can cause grief. Some of the reasons for grief are loss of a loved one, a new life direction due to a move, a divorce, a career change or even the loss of a dream (Grief, 2011). Coping and healing from grief can be one of the most difficult things a person will deal with in their life and there are resources to aid those who experience it’s effects. First of all, there is hope in healing when grief is expressed . Helpguide.org put it this way, “Grief that is expressed and experienced has the potential for healing which can eventually strengthen and enrich life (“Grief,” n.d., para. 1). A holistic look on how grief can affect a persons’s life can give the best picture when describing the process of grief. In her
References: Becker, G., Xander, C. J., Blum, H. E., Lutterbach, J., Momm, F., Gysels, M., & Higginson, I. J. (2007). Do religious or spiritual beliefs influence bereavement? A systematic review. Palliative Medicine, 21(3), 207-217. Cowchock, F. F., Lasker, J. J., Toedter, L. L., Skumanich, S. S., & Koenig, H. H. (2010). Religious Beliefs Affect Grieving After Pregnancy Loss. Journal Of Religion & Health, 49(4), 485-497. doi:10.1007/s10943-009-9277-3 Creagan, E Doka, K. J. (2011). Religion and Spirituality: Assessment and Intervention. Journal Of Social Work In End-Of-Life & Palliative Care, 7(1), 99-109. doi: 10.1080/15524256.2011.548049 Fairchild, M Feldman, R. S. (2011) Development across the life span. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. Guthrie S. (2004). The Gradual Grief of Alzheimer 's. Interview of Robertson McQuilkin. Retrieved from http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2004/february/8.64.html Grief Grief, Bereavement, and Coping With Loss. (2011). National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. Retrieved from http://www.cancer.gov/ cancertopics/pdq/supportivecare/bereavement/Patient/page1/AllPages Grief increases heart attack risk Hodgson, H. (2005). Anticipatory grief symptoms: what’s the big deal? American Hospice Foundation. Retrieved from http://www.americanhospice.org/ grief/working-through-grief/80-anticipatory-grief-symptoms-whats-the-big-deal Hottensen, D. (2010). Anticipatory grief in patients with cancer. Clinical Journal of Oncology Nursing, 14(1), 106-7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/222751267?accountid=12085 Milstein, J. M. (2008). Introducing Spirituality in Medical Care. JAMA: Journal Of The American Medical Association, 299(20), 2440-2441. Moll, R. (2007). A New Kind of Dying. Sudden death gives way to anticipated mortality. A review of Last Rights. Retrieved from http:/www.christianitytoday.com/ ct/2007/september/32.99.html Rynearson, E. (2010). The Clergy, the Clinician, and the Narrative of Violent Death. Pastoral Psychology, 59(2), 179-189. doi:10.1007/s11089-009-0228-4 Riches, G., & Dawson, P Singh, K. (2012). Dying as a spiritual event. National Caregivers Library. Smith, M., & Segal, J. (2012) . Coping with grief and loss. Understanding the grieving process. Retrieved from http://www.helpguide.org/mental/grief_loss.htm Tomita, T., & Kitamura, T