Articles
- Screening For Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol-Related Problems in College Populations
- Young American Women Drinking Harder
- Broad Drug Testing Adopted in Kansas Town
- Monthly Illicit Drug Use Highest in S.F. Area
- Marijuana, Memory, and the Hippocampus
- Nicotine Withdrawal Starts Within Minutes of Smoking
- Study: IQ Scores Not Lower in Babies Exposed to Cocaine
- Class-Action Status Sought in 'Light' Cigarette Case
Issues of Grief and Loss
Grief is something we all experience with the loss of someone or some thing we care deeply about. We grieve for things that have been important to us for a long time: relationships with family, close friends, significant others, beloved pets; places we have become deeply attached to. It doesn't much matter whether we felt love for that person, place, or thing when they were lost to us - we may feel an intense, painful grief reaction after they are gone. Grief ends when we have gotten past the intense feelings to the point that we are again able to live outside the shadow of our loss. This doesn't mean we stop feeling sad when we think about it -- only that we no longer suffer deep emotional pain.
Pathological grief and bereavement occur when we find ourselves unable to process these feelings appropriately, and as a result, experience continuing depression, anxiety, or post-traumatic stress to the point where these symptoms interfere with our ability to function and enjoy life as we desire.
At Life Healing Center, our vast experience with emotional trauma and loss is perhaps our greatest asset in meeting the needs of persons with severe, continuing grief reactions. Through careful assessment, intelligent treatment planning, and intensive group, individual, and art therapy, we can help restore hope and engender new understanding in the bereaved individual. Skilled practitioners in healing arts such as massage, acupuncture, and body-centered therapies are available to provide support and assistance. Attendance at our intensive Family Weekend assists loved ones in understanding and empathizing with the grief recovery process.
