Traumatic Loss: Needing To View The Body

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[Reviewed and updated August 11, 2020]

People who suddenly lose a spouse or a child to murder, suicide or an accident often benefit from being allowed to see the dead person’s body, even if it’s bruised or starting to decompose, a new investigation finds.  ~ Science News

A reader writes: I have enrolled in your online grief course and it is a wonderful help. I have spent hours reading over your articles and books, and I am just about to order another book for my son on the death of a sibling.

I don’t know if you remember me, but you helped me in a massive way last June. You gave me instant advice regarding my son who had gone missing in the sea following a climbing accident.

Caregiving and Hospice, May 21 - May 27, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Don't wait: Now's the time to discuss end-of-life care https://usat.ly/2r71Lyq « USA Today

Hospice care doesn't have to start at the end of life, http://bit.ly/2qpJNq1 « WRAL.com

What It Takes To Be A Hospice Nurse, http://bit.ly/2qhHLfm « Barbara Karnes, RN

Understanding and Managing Grief, May 21 - May 27, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Never Long Enough - A new book of comfort and hope amidst grief and loss, http://bit.ly/2rZjdFr « Read The Spirit

The Long Game After Loss, http://bit.ly/2rGMh7h « Christina Rasmussen

When We Blame Ourselves, http://bit.ly/2s3v7Nt « The Grief Toolbox

In Grief: Needing To Tell The Story

[Reviewed and updated July 24, 2022]

A reader writes: I feel like I am losing it. Both my mother and my sister were killed in an auto accident two months ago. I find myself talking about it over and over again, to anyone who will listen. But no matter how many times I tell the story, I can’t seem to wrap my mind around it. I am trying to believe that it really did happen, because at this moment in time, I really cannot believe it myself.

Caregiving and Hospice, May 14 - May 20, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

We're Bad at Death. Can We Talk? http://nyti.ms/2rEVqJV « The New York Times

Cancer Patients Might Be More Optimistic About Prognosis Than Their Doctors, http://bit.ly/2qGtp5h « Seven Ponds

Rebecca Sudore on Advance Care Planning: The Prepare Trial, http://bit.ly/2rzfDRg « GeriPal

Understanding and Managing Grief, May 14 - May 20, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Why we Need to Stop Saying, "I'm Sorry For Your Loss," http://bit.ly/2r4Bh3M « Elephant Journal

After A Loss, Learning to Be Happy Again, http://nyti.ms/2q2E1dB « The New York Times

Change Your Mind, Change the World, http://bit.ly/2pUt6H5 « Soaring Spirits International

Voices of Experience: You Know You’re Getting Better When…

It does not matter how slowly you go as long as you do not stop.  ~ Confucius

Laurie Burrows Grad is a food writer, television chef, and food journalist who transitioned to writing about grief when her husband Peter suddenly died on August 1, 2015. She has written over 65 blogs about being a widow on Huffington Post. The post below originally appeared on Thrive Global, the new site for Arianna Huffington, and is reprinted here with Laurie's permission. She is also the Editor-in-Chief for www.epicurus.com, one of the top food sites, and writes monthly blogs about cookware and cookbooks. In her personal life, Laurie is a philanthropist, who with her late husband Peter raised over $30 million for the Alzheimer’s Association in honor of her father, the late playwright Abe Burrows.

Caregiving and Hospice, May 7 - May 13, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Episode 1: No step entry, http://bit.ly/2pCT8JM « Nest for Life

After bowel cancer, I understand why people are tempted to reject treatment, http://ab.co/2pCXhhB « Science News

Facing Your Own Death: Can You Really Prepare Now? http://bit.ly/2pnqI6n « Seven Ponds Blog

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.

Understanding and Managing Grief, May 7 - May 13, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Remembering My Mom on Mother's Day, http://j.mp/JTwqmc « Grief Healing

A Hidden Grief on Mother's Day, http://bit.ly/2qd5Y5y « ACS Technologies Ministry Impact

Sharing Stories About Loss and Grief, http://bit.ly/2pJ7BVa « Canadian Virtual Hospice

In Grief: Daughters Mourning Mothers

Source

[Reviewed and updated June 3, 2024]

When a mother dies, a daughter’s mourning never completely ends. ~ Hope Edelman

A reader writes: Today I visited your site for the first time and I have decided to share something I wrote with you. This fall I lost my mother less than a week before my son's wedding. I have been grieving for both my empty nest (3 adult children have moved on with their lives) along with the loss of my mother. Each time I feel lonely or sad because my kids have grown and left the nest, I feel deep pain for having caused my mother the same grief. Relationships with parents are complicated; expectations, irritations, personality quirks, being a 47 year old daughter, etc. Along with the emotional connectedness we had with one another, my grief includes loss for my mother as a friend.

Caregiving and Hospice, April 30 - May 6, 2017

Best selection from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Honoring Hospice Nurses: National Nurses Week, May 6 – May 12, http://bit.ly/mFIU0a « Grief Healing

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.

Understanding and Managing Grief, April 30 - May 6, 2017

Best selections from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Sudden Loss: 5 Ways it Differs from Expected Loss, http://bit.ly/2pRHooo « The Grief Toolbox

Digitally Delivered Mental Health – The Revolution Is Here! http://bit.ly/2qMuoQa « Health Journeys

The Bigger Lesson From Facebook’s New Bereavement Leave Policy, http://bit.ly/2pKavtP « Fast Company

Coping with Pet Loss, April 30 - May 6, 2017

Best selection from Grief Healing's Twitter stream this week:

Pet hospice helps ease difficult days for animals and their humans, http://bit.ly/2pc9nOF « WGN-TV

Your feedback is welcome! Please feel free to leave a comment or a question, or share a tip, a related article or a resource of your own in the Comments section below. If you’d like Grief Healing Blog updates delivered right to your inbox, you’re cordially invited to subscribe to our weekly Grief Healing Newsletter. Sign up here.

In Grief: Causing Accidental Death or Injury (CADI) to Another

[Reviewed and updated June 17, 2021]

Life is an adventure in forgiveness, the writer Norman Cousins once said, but few things come so hard as forgiving oneself.  ~ Todd Leopold

A reader writes: Three weeks ago I hit a pedestrian. Two days later he died. I am up and down, feeling guilt. Sometimes I try to act OK. My husband is very worried about me. I am going to a class on anxiety. It helps me understand what I am experiencing. But are there any online resources that deal with someone dying who is NOT a loved one, but rather actually a complete stranger and the ongoing guilt I feel about this?