What is Bereavement?
Bereavement is the experience of losing someone significant through death. Grief is the natural emotional response that follows, affecting emotions, thoughts, body, and identity. Bereavement does not follow a fixed timeline, and there is no correct way to grieve. Each loss is unique, shaped by relationship, circumstances, and personal history.
How Bereavement Affects Your Life
Grief can feel overwhelming, unpredictable, or physically exhausting. People may experience sadness, anger, guilt, numbness, or longing.
Concentration, sleep, and motivation often change. Social withdrawal is common, especially when others expect grief to end quickly.
What Causes Bereavement Difficulties?
Complicated grief may develop when loss is sudden, traumatic, or unsupported.
Why Professional Help Makes a Difference
Therapy provides space to grieve without pressure or judgement.
Therapeutic Approaches That Help
Grief counselling, trauma informed therapy, and meaning focused approaches support adaptation.
Who is Affected by Bereavement?
Bereavement affects people of all ages and cultures.
What Recovery Can Look Like
Recovery involves integrating loss while continuing to live meaningfully.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will grief ever end?
Grief changes rather than disappears.
Realistic Case Example
Peter, a 59 year old widower, felt stuck in grief years after his loss. Therapy helped him honour the relationship while reconnecting with life.
Related Concerns
Next Steps
You do not need a diagnosis to seek bereavement support.