November 7th, 2011
Have you ever experienced overwhelming grief? If you’ve gone through an extremely difficult loss, you know what I’m talking about. Feeling on the verge of tears – more often than you’ve ever experienced. Feeling sad and depressed much of the day. Or experiencing a surge of sadness unexpectedly. You find yourself angry and bitter and don’t quite understand this change in your perspective. Perhaps you react strongly to things that would have gotten a much weaker response from you at a different time.
Sometimes these reactions are in direct realtionship to a recent life change and sometimes that life change has opened old wounds from earlier in our lives. Concretely, consider this: A woman separated from her long-term partner in the past year. When she is turned down by a potential date, she feels like sobbing. She realizes that she hardly knew this person and her reaction seems somehow out of proportion. Upon further reflection, she accepts that she still mourns the relationship she recently lost, but that’s not all. Being single brings up fears of dying alone, as well as a fear of rejection and abandonment, which has roots in a painful childhood of parental neglect.
The end of a relationship is only one of many losses we experience in life. Others include but are not limited to deaths, job losses, losing a pet, and loss of health. Grief is a normal and expected reaction. Many of us grieve without the support of a therapist. But some of us find it helpful to work through this experience with a counselor – especially when we can’t understand our experience, feel isolated and alone, and need someone to hear our stories and help us make sense of our lives.
A skillful grief and loss therapist will allow you to feel your emotions, provide some comfort and support, and help you make sense of your life and the path on which you travel.
If you’re looking for grief counseling in Dupont Circle, Washington, DC, feel free to contact me at Mike.Giordano.MSW@gmail.com or at 202/460-6384.