Bereavement and Grief

Grief is a normal reaction to loss. It is characterised by the emotional pain, despair and upset experienced when you lose someone or something you love. Intense grief is often experienced following bereavement, or the death of a loved one.

Losing someone you love or care deeply about can cause intense emotional pain. You may experience all kinds of difficult feelings and emotions. It may feel as though these feelings will never go away. This is a normal response to a significant loss. There is no ‘correct’ way to grieve, and everyone’s experience of grief is different, but there are positive ways to cope with the pain that grief brings which can help you to move forward.

The depth and intensity of those feelings of grief can relate to your closeness and attachment to the loved one you have lost, or to the circumstances of that loss. Although grief is generally associated with bereavement, ANY loss can cause grief, triggering similar feelings of emotional upset pain and sadness, including:

• Redundancy, Retirement or loss of income.
• Miscarriage or problems conceiving.
• Serious illness of self or a loved one.
• Divorce or relationship breakdown.
• Death of a pet
• Breakdown of a friendship.
• Relocation or moving home.