Mourning Handbook [Paperback]

No one should be left to grieve alone
Even with the help of friends and family, grieving the death of a loved one can be a complex, sometimes overwhelming, process.The Mourning Handbookis written as a companion to those mourners in need of practical and emotional assistance during the trying times before and after the death of a loved one.
Having counseled thousands of people who have experienced loss, Helen Fitzgerald gives special attention to the complex emotions that can accompany especially traumatic situations, such as when a loved one has been murdered, when there have been multiple deaths, when a body has not been recovered, or when the mourner has been the inadvertent cause of death.
Designed to conform to the special needs of the bereaved,The Mourning Handbookis written and organized in an accessible style punctuated by real stories of people who have experienced every kind of loss. With many subchapters and cross references, it can be consulted for a specific problem or read at length.Chapter 1

FACTS ABOUT GRIEF

Let's begin by providing you with some basic information that you need to have about this little-understood human experience.

1.1 Definitions

Grief

If you are grieving, you are familiar with the feeling, but what is grief exactly?Webster's New World Dictionarygives as its primary definition intense emotional suffering caused by loss, disaster, misfortune, etc.; acute sorrow; deep sadness.

Grief is the emotion experienced by Darlene, a young client of mine who had flown home for a surprise visit on her mother's birthday, only to learn at the airport that her mother had died a few hours earlier. Darlene's sudden feelings of disbelief, panic, and anger are part of what we call grief, and it is what you may be experiencing right now.

Mourning

Mourning, on the other hand, is defined by the same dictionary as tl£3