Grief

We experience grief for many different reasons.  Whenever there is a loss, we grieve.  It may be the death of a loved one or the end of a marriage.  Many may not think one grieves at the loss of a spouse through divorce; yet even if the marriage has been tumultuous, the end can trigger a grieving emotion.

Of particular interest is the Kubler-Ross Model of Grief.  The model was first developed by Elisabeth Kubler-Ross based on her interviews with more than 500 terminally ill patients.  However, the model can be used by anyone who is suffering from a significant loss to help understand and cope with their emotions.  The model itself has changed over time; most importantly, experts no longer believe that grief is experienced in a series of successive steps.  Elisabeth Kubler-Ross and David Kessler explain:

 "The stages have evolved since their introduction and they have been very misunderstood over the past three decades. They were never meant to help tuck messy emotions into neat packages. They are responses to loss that many people have, but there is not a typical response to loss as there is no typical loss. Our grief is as individual as our lives.

The five stages, denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance are a part of the framework that makes up our learning to live with the one we lost. They are tools to help us frame and identify what we may be feeling. But they are not stops on some linear timeline in grief. Not everyone goes through all of them or in a prescribed order. Our hope is that with these stages comes the knowledge of grief ’s terrain, making us better equipped to cope with life and loss."

The Original Kubler-Ross Model for Grief
Updated Model (external link)
The Grief Cycle (external link)
Dispelling Five Common Myths
Articles on Grief (external link)