Each person has a unique way of grieving. Often, people think that grieving means crying or missing the thing that was lost. Fortunately, grieving is much broader than crying and missing, and the therapists at the Lotus Group are trained to notice, work with, and help heal those who are grieving. Other signs of grief are anger, denial, and depression. A person may be angry at the loss and deny feelings of sadness or confusion. Being in a state of denial is also a part of the grieving process and complete denial of the loss or denial of being affected by the loss are common symptoms of a grieving person. Those who have experienced loss may also experience depression after the loss or find little or no meaning in other experiences. Remembering that one does not need to cry to be in a state of grief is important for grief counseling.
Grief counseling is unique in nature because each person who enters grief counseling will find a unique experience. Because grief among individuals is variable, so is the counseling. Grief has no time frame or fancy structure for being healed. Some take years to work through grief felt by a significant loss and others only a few months. The type of grief one feels will also influence the process of therapy. Anticipatory grief or a loss that was expected (such as dying from cancer) will be worked with differently than a loss that was sudden or unexpected such as death by car accident or heart attack. A third type of grief is complicated grief, which over time and untreated, can affect a person’s daily functioning. This type of grief is the most intense and may take longer to treat than others. Speaking with a therapist about the type of loss you experienced and symptoms you are experiencing will be important to the process of therapy.
Remember that grief is unique and can take years to heal. The intensity of the grief may fluctuate from day to day, but staying aware that the grief is present will be helpful in grief counseling. Remind yourself that grief looks very different in people, and not grieving like someone else is perfectly normal. Please take the next step to make an appointment if you feel Grief Counseling in Indianapolis may be helpful. We have many therapists who are skilled and trained to help heal grief. You do not need to do that alone.