5 Reasons To Have A Grief Therapy Session

5 reasons to have a grief therapy session: Grief is a process that can leave you feeling overwhelmed, confused and grief-stricken for months after a loss. If your grief continues to hinder progress in other areas of your life or you find yourself frequently thinking about your lost loved one then grief therapy may be worth exploring. Here are five signs it’s time to seek grief therapy along with some life examples:

1. Your Trauma Never Goes Away

After missing the funeral due to illness, Zack felt guilty for not saying his final goodbyes. In an effort to cope with his feelings, he began indulging in alcohol more often than usual and found himself unable to concentrate on his work at the office. While grief over a lost loved one is normal, lingering trauma from a loss could signal that grief therapy might be helpful.

2. You Are Having Trouble Functioning Daily

Angela and her husband were high school sweethearts and spent 40 happy years together before he passed away suddenly due to a heart attack. Angela knew grief counselling would help, but she kept finding excuses not to call for an appointment. Trying to continue daily life while grief is still weighing heavily on you may make it difficult for you to focus or complete tasks at home or work.

3. You Have Grief Dreams At Night

While grief dreams might seem comforting because they give you a chance to say goodbye or resolve something with your lost loved one, grief dreams that increase in frequency or severity could be a sign grief is taking over your life. Dreams about the loss can make it difficult to return to a normal sleep cycle and leave you feeling more grief-stricken than before you went to bed.

4. You Are Struggling To Maintain Relationships

After facing many struggles throughout their marriage, Sasha’s husband passed away from cancer leaving her alone at only 56 years old. Sasha struggled with guilt after his death and found that grief was taking a toll on her relationship with friends and family. She didn’t want to see anyone and locked herself away at home.

5. You Have Difficulty Remembering The Good Times

When grief begins to interfere with your daily life, it’s hard not to focus on the negative aspects of losing someone close to you. If grief is making you forget about the good times or memories you shared with your loved one, grief therapy can help.

Some people believe grief counselling isn’t as effective as traditional types of therapy because grief cannot be solved or treated like an illness, however counsellors use different methods that may include visualisation, cognitive restructuring and experiential therapy to help patients cope with grief and move forward after a loss. Anyone who has experienced grief due to the loss of a loved one, whether human or animal, can learn coping mechanisms and tools to help them move forward after grief.

Even if you’re unsure whether grief is getting in the way of your daily life, seeking grief counselling with a therapist trained to work with individuals experiencing loss could provide peace of mind as well as help you move forward after grief.

If you are struggling to come to terms with your loss then speak to your GP for further support who can refer you to further support services. You can also contact Cruse Bereavement Care on 0808 808 1677.