Navigating the Stages of Grief

The Stages of Grief; How Grief Counseling Can Help

Following the passing of a loved one, the pain from so much loss can make the grief process seem nearly impossible to endure. At East West Therapy Hawaii, we know that painful and sad feelings take time and effort to deal with, at a time when your mental energy feels unavailable.

Grief Hurts, Counseling Helps

Depending on the circumstances of your loss, past life experiences and expectations for your future can become complicated, if not paralyzing. The good news is, help is available and very effective.
Grief counseling aims to provide a safe, listening, and respectful place where the stages of grief can be examined within the context of the present, followed by establishing a new way forward as current realizations and attitudes are integrated into a whole new vision of oneself and one’s life.

Five Stages of Grief

As we all must go through grief, at one time or another, fortunately, to help manage the emotional devastation associated with loss, psychiatrist Elisabeth Kubler Ross defined grief’s most common stages:

Denial – This is an instinctive reaction as the mind goes into survival mode. Because of its instinctive nature, denial must be called off in order to deal with its effects.

Anger – it is often said that there is no such thing as anger, and that anger is a symptom of pain. Knowing your loved one is not coming back can feel so final, and painful, that this thought becomes overwhelming and frustrating to deal with. Sometimes closure is not complete or peripheral events happen that complicate the loved one’s passing, leaving feelings of anger. These thoughts and feelings can be resolved.

Bargaining – “I’ll give all my money to the poor if you can just save my loved one, bring him, or her, back, or make this pain go away,” are often the feelings when desperate feelings of loss erupt and try to resolve themselves. Counseling is available to help settle these feelings as well.

Depression – as the grief process continues and nothing seems to alleviate the pain of knowing your loved one is gone, depression settles in. This deeper level of grief can also be resolved with proper counseling

Acceptance – feelings start leveling out to make room for lifelong treasures of time with your loved ones.

Grief Counseling Help is Available

At East West Therapy Hawaii, our twenty years of experience in grief counseling has helped us gain the knowledge behind what path helps each individual must take to work through the grief process. Each path is different. Each path must be understood, and this can only happen in a safe environment, with a listening ear and lots of understanding of you and your individual journey.

Contact East West Therapy, today, at (213) 880 8262, and let us help you work through your loss, so you can find peace and comfort in this part of life’s journey.