The Humanist Approach to Grief and Grieving

The Humanist Approach to Grief and Grieving

Author: Jennifer Hancock

Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform

Published: 2013-04-05

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 9781484046579

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How to grieve and maintain your sanity. A rational and compassionate approach to bereavement. Non-religious individuals who are experiencing grief need a resource that they can turn to as they process their grief. They need a resource that will help them cope, as Humanists, with the emotional trauma that is the grieving process. This is that book. While there has been a lot written about grief, not much has been written from an explicitly Humanist perspective. The needs of a Humanist, while grieving, are slightly different from others because Humanists, being rationalists, refuse to allow themselves to be comforted by the false hope of reunion that is a staple of religious belief. I decided to write this book to help people who are experiencing grief come to terms with it in a rational and compassionate way. After presiding over my first funeral as a Humanist officiant, I realized that a book on Humanist grief was needed. I felt the pain the bereaved were feeling and I longed to be able to provide them comfort. I know that Humanism provides an excellent framework for coping with grief, but it is impossible to share all that I know about how Humanists approach grief during a funeral. It also wouldn't do much good even if I could. The bereaved need ongoing support because grief is a process that takes time.


Book Synopsis The Humanist Approach to Grief and Grieving by : Jennifer Hancock

Download or read book The Humanist Approach to Grief and Grieving written by Jennifer Hancock and published by Createspace Independent Publishing Platform. This book was released on 2013-04-05 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How to grieve and maintain your sanity. A rational and compassionate approach to bereavement. Non-religious individuals who are experiencing grief need a resource that they can turn to as they process their grief. They need a resource that will help them cope, as Humanists, with the emotional trauma that is the grieving process. This is that book. While there has been a lot written about grief, not much has been written from an explicitly Humanist perspective. The needs of a Humanist, while grieving, are slightly different from others because Humanists, being rationalists, refuse to allow themselves to be comforted by the false hope of reunion that is a staple of religious belief. I decided to write this book to help people who are experiencing grief come to terms with it in a rational and compassionate way. After presiding over my first funeral as a Humanist officiant, I realized that a book on Humanist grief was needed. I felt the pain the bereaved were feeling and I longed to be able to provide them comfort. I know that Humanism provides an excellent framework for coping with grief, but it is impossible to share all that I know about how Humanists approach grief during a funeral. It also wouldn't do much good even if I could. The bereaved need ongoing support because grief is a process that takes time.


Perspectives On Loss

Perspectives On Loss

Author: John H. Harvey

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2014-01-14

Total Pages: 398

ISBN-13: 1317771915

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Losses are integral to the human experience, but they sometimes unfold in subtle ways. Loss is not just about death, but can encompass a number of situations, such as those gradual losses experienced by the elderly: loss of vision, mental capacity, or hope. Intended to stimulate ideas and research in the new area of psychological aspects of loss, this sourcebook collects the writing of a set of distinguished scholars representing psychology and related fields. The author presents a case for a broadly-construed field of loss-both personal and interpersonal-that would complement other fields such as death and dying, traumatology, and stress and coping. No other volume is as comprehensive in its treatment of this intriguing subject. The book begins with an introduction to the concept of loss and discusses the definition of the term and the salience of the topic in the general public in the 1990s. Contributors were chosen to represent some of the most interesting current work on different types of loss and adaptation in the whole of the social and behavioral sciences. Contents cover such diverse subjects as loss in intimate relationships, disability, chronic illness, genocide, sports, unemployment, and homelessness. The book concludes with a commentary section on loss theory and research.


Book Synopsis Perspectives On Loss by : John H. Harvey

Download or read book Perspectives On Loss written by John H. Harvey and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2014-01-14 with total page 398 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Losses are integral to the human experience, but they sometimes unfold in subtle ways. Loss is not just about death, but can encompass a number of situations, such as those gradual losses experienced by the elderly: loss of vision, mental capacity, or hope. Intended to stimulate ideas and research in the new area of psychological aspects of loss, this sourcebook collects the writing of a set of distinguished scholars representing psychology and related fields. The author presents a case for a broadly-construed field of loss-both personal and interpersonal-that would complement other fields such as death and dying, traumatology, and stress and coping. No other volume is as comprehensive in its treatment of this intriguing subject. The book begins with an introduction to the concept of loss and discusses the definition of the term and the salience of the topic in the general public in the 1990s. Contributors were chosen to represent some of the most interesting current work on different types of loss and adaptation in the whole of the social and behavioral sciences. Contents cover such diverse subjects as loss in intimate relationships, disability, chronic illness, genocide, sports, unemployment, and homelessness. The book concludes with a commentary section on loss theory and research.


Gift of Tears

Gift of Tears

Author: Susan Lendrum

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2004-03

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 1135479313

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Gift of Tears is intended for anyone who finds they have to cope, in the course of their daily lives, with the grief of others. It will prove invaluable to counsellors, therapists, mental health professionals and all those helping the bereaved.


Book Synopsis Gift of Tears by : Susan Lendrum

Download or read book Gift of Tears written by Susan Lendrum and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2004-03 with total page 273 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Gift of Tears is intended for anyone who finds they have to cope, in the course of their daily lives, with the grief of others. It will prove invaluable to counsellors, therapists, mental health professionals and all those helping the bereaved.


The Deceased-focused Approach to Grief

The Deceased-focused Approach to Grief

Author: Frank E. Eyetsemitan

Publisher: Springer Nature

Published: 2022-04-22

Total Pages: 244

ISBN-13: 3030982459

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Conventional grief models focus on the bereaved, including actions that they need to take to get back to normalcy following the death of a loved one. This book suggests that it might be helpful in the grieving process to focus on the deceased, instead. Research points to the benefits of altruistic acts and thoughts, including improvements in mood. Altruistic acts and thoughts also could be extended to the deceased, who in death has experienced a loss as well. By taking on the perspective of and being empathic toward the deceased, a “response shift” occurs that could result in mood improvement and happiness in the bereaved. The book provides guidelines for this alternative grief model in the death of a child, of a teenager, of a spouse/partner, and of a sibling; and in multiple deaths and in persistent grief experience among others. Based on motivational principles, a workbook is also provided for monitoring progress in coping with bereavement. Comprehension questions and additional readings are provided in each chapter to help the reader further explore the topic at hand. This book would be useful in a course on death, dying and bereavement; to healthcare practitioners/bereavement counsellors; and to scholars in death, dying and bereavement across different fields including psychology, sociology, social work, public health and religion. Most grief models focus on the bereaved, including actions the survivor needs to take to get back to normalcy after a loss. However, in the grieving process it might be helpful if attention is shifted to the deceased, instead. The bereaved, by doing things she or he perceives as pleasing to the deceased, might receive healing and satisfaction in return. Lisa Farino (2010) notes that there is no shortage of research pointing to the beneficial effects of focusing on others. In a study by Carolyn Schwartz and Rabbi Meir Sendor (1999), lay people with a chronic disease were trained to provide compassionate, unconditional regard to others who had the same illness. The results showed that the providers of care and compassion reported better quality of life than the recipients of care and compassion, even though both givers and receivers had the same disease. The givers showed profound improvements in confidence, self-awareness, self-esteem, depression, and in role functioning. The researchers emphasized the beneficial importance of “response shift” (the shifting of internal standards, values, and concept definition of health and well-being) in dealing with one’s own adversity. Farino (2010) notes that this research is profound because in western culture the belief is that feeling happy tends to be getting something for yourself. There are biological origins to the notion that “it’s better to give than to receive.” Using the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers were able to demonstrate a connection between brain activity and giving. People who gave voluntarily and also for a good cause experienced more activation of the part of brain that controls for pleasure and happiness (e.g, Harbaugh, Mayr & Burghart, 2007). Studies show that about 7% of the US population experience complicated or prolonged grief disorder (e.g., Kersting et al, 2011). This is persistent grief that does not go away, and many parents tend to experience this after the loss of a child. In their study Catherine Rogers and colleagues (2008) found bereaved parents reporting more depressive symptoms, poorer well-being and more health problems after a child’s loss almost 20 years later. Survivors usually show concern about how their deceased loved ones felt prior to death and if happy or not in the afterlife (e.g., Eyetsemitan & Eggleston, 2002). A study reported respondents used emotion discrete terms such as sad, happy or angry to describe the faces of deceased persons. The researchers suggested that the perceived emotional state of a deceased loved one could impact on the survivor’s mourning trajectory (e.g., Eyetsemitan & Eggleston, 2002). The bereavement model of placing focus on the deceased instead, provides an alternative to existing bereavement models, in helping the survivor to cope with a loss.


Book Synopsis The Deceased-focused Approach to Grief by : Frank E. Eyetsemitan

Download or read book The Deceased-focused Approach to Grief written by Frank E. Eyetsemitan and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-04-22 with total page 244 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Conventional grief models focus on the bereaved, including actions that they need to take to get back to normalcy following the death of a loved one. This book suggests that it might be helpful in the grieving process to focus on the deceased, instead. Research points to the benefits of altruistic acts and thoughts, including improvements in mood. Altruistic acts and thoughts also could be extended to the deceased, who in death has experienced a loss as well. By taking on the perspective of and being empathic toward the deceased, a “response shift” occurs that could result in mood improvement and happiness in the bereaved. The book provides guidelines for this alternative grief model in the death of a child, of a teenager, of a spouse/partner, and of a sibling; and in multiple deaths and in persistent grief experience among others. Based on motivational principles, a workbook is also provided for monitoring progress in coping with bereavement. Comprehension questions and additional readings are provided in each chapter to help the reader further explore the topic at hand. This book would be useful in a course on death, dying and bereavement; to healthcare practitioners/bereavement counsellors; and to scholars in death, dying and bereavement across different fields including psychology, sociology, social work, public health and religion. Most grief models focus on the bereaved, including actions the survivor needs to take to get back to normalcy after a loss. However, in the grieving process it might be helpful if attention is shifted to the deceased, instead. The bereaved, by doing things she or he perceives as pleasing to the deceased, might receive healing and satisfaction in return. Lisa Farino (2010) notes that there is no shortage of research pointing to the beneficial effects of focusing on others. In a study by Carolyn Schwartz and Rabbi Meir Sendor (1999), lay people with a chronic disease were trained to provide compassionate, unconditional regard to others who had the same illness. The results showed that the providers of care and compassion reported better quality of life than the recipients of care and compassion, even though both givers and receivers had the same disease. The givers showed profound improvements in confidence, self-awareness, self-esteem, depression, and in role functioning. The researchers emphasized the beneficial importance of “response shift” (the shifting of internal standards, values, and concept definition of health and well-being) in dealing with one’s own adversity. Farino (2010) notes that this research is profound because in western culture the belief is that feeling happy tends to be getting something for yourself. There are biological origins to the notion that “it’s better to give than to receive.” Using the functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), researchers were able to demonstrate a connection between brain activity and giving. People who gave voluntarily and also for a good cause experienced more activation of the part of brain that controls for pleasure and happiness (e.g, Harbaugh, Mayr & Burghart, 2007). Studies show that about 7% of the US population experience complicated or prolonged grief disorder (e.g., Kersting et al, 2011). This is persistent grief that does not go away, and many parents tend to experience this after the loss of a child. In their study Catherine Rogers and colleagues (2008) found bereaved parents reporting more depressive symptoms, poorer well-being and more health problems after a child’s loss almost 20 years later. Survivors usually show concern about how their deceased loved ones felt prior to death and if happy or not in the afterlife (e.g., Eyetsemitan & Eggleston, 2002). A study reported respondents used emotion discrete terms such as sad, happy or angry to describe the faces of deceased persons. The researchers suggested that the perceived emotional state of a deceased loved one could impact on the survivor’s mourning trajectory (e.g., Eyetsemitan & Eggleston, 2002). The bereavement model of placing focus on the deceased instead, provides an alternative to existing bereavement models, in helping the survivor to cope with a loss.


Understanding the Journey

Understanding the Journey

Author: Hilda R. Glazer

Publisher: Charles C Thomas Publisher

Published: 2019-07-03

Total Pages: 272

ISBN-13: 0398092869

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The death of a loved one is a traumatic event for both adults and children. Grieving has no rules, no prescribed course, or expiration date. After a death, the feelings and experiences that follow can be extremely overwhelming and confusing. The authors of this book create a supportive environment that normalizes the phases of grief through clinical expertise, including a lifespan approach that indicates grief is certainly a journey from which none of us ever escapes nor perhaps reaches closure. This is an important work that addresses the spiritual, emotional, psychological, and physical aspects of a person’s grief. Specific topics include: the physical aspects of grief; anticipatory grief; grief through a child’s eyes; understanding grief and spirituality; counseling the bereaved adult; adult grief support groups; death in a military family; counseling grieving children and traumatic loss; messages of mourning; using art to facilitate a child’s expression of grief; and the importance of self-care. In addition, numerous case examples describing real-life experiences are discussed, helping to enhance coping and encourage healing. The text is further enhanced by an appendix containing a wealth of information that includes sample group activities. This book will be a significant resource for mental health professionals, grief counselors, human service providers, social workers, clergy, nurses, and lay volunteers.


Book Synopsis Understanding the Journey by : Hilda R. Glazer

Download or read book Understanding the Journey written by Hilda R. Glazer and published by Charles C Thomas Publisher. This book was released on 2019-07-03 with total page 272 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The death of a loved one is a traumatic event for both adults and children. Grieving has no rules, no prescribed course, or expiration date. After a death, the feelings and experiences that follow can be extremely overwhelming and confusing. The authors of this book create a supportive environment that normalizes the phases of grief through clinical expertise, including a lifespan approach that indicates grief is certainly a journey from which none of us ever escapes nor perhaps reaches closure. This is an important work that addresses the spiritual, emotional, psychological, and physical aspects of a person’s grief. Specific topics include: the physical aspects of grief; anticipatory grief; grief through a child’s eyes; understanding grief and spirituality; counseling the bereaved adult; adult grief support groups; death in a military family; counseling grieving children and traumatic loss; messages of mourning; using art to facilitate a child’s expression of grief; and the importance of self-care. In addition, numerous case examples describing real-life experiences are discussed, helping to enhance coping and encourage healing. The text is further enhanced by an appendix containing a wealth of information that includes sample group activities. This book will be a significant resource for mental health professionals, grief counselors, human service providers, social workers, clergy, nurses, and lay volunteers.


Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society

Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society

Author: Robert A. Neimeyer

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2011-06-15

Total Pages: 556

ISBN-13: 113689456X

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Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society is an authoritative guide to the study of and work with major themes in bereavement. Its chapters synthesize the best of research-based conceptualization and clinical wisdom across 30 of the most important topics in the field. The volume’s contributors come from around the world, and their work reflects a level of cultural awareness of the diversity and universality of bereavement and its challenges that has rarely been approximated by other volumes. This is a readable, engaging, and comprehensive book that will share the most important scientific and applied work on the contemporary scene with a broad international audience, and as such, it will be an essential addition to anyone with a serious interest in death, dying, and bereavement.


Book Synopsis Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society by : Robert A. Neimeyer

Download or read book Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society written by Robert A. Neimeyer and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2011-06-15 with total page 556 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Grief and Bereavement in Contemporary Society is an authoritative guide to the study of and work with major themes in bereavement. Its chapters synthesize the best of research-based conceptualization and clinical wisdom across 30 of the most important topics in the field. The volume’s contributors come from around the world, and their work reflects a level of cultural awareness of the diversity and universality of bereavement and its challenges that has rarely been approximated by other volumes. This is a readable, engaging, and comprehensive book that will share the most important scientific and applied work on the contemporary scene with a broad international audience, and as such, it will be an essential addition to anyone with a serious interest in death, dying, and bereavement.


Nonfinite Loss and Grief

Nonfinite Loss and Grief

Author: Elizabeth J. Bruce

Publisher:

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 288

ISBN-13:

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This compassionate book challenges the idea that the grieving process is the same regardless of the nature of the loss. The authors distinguish 'nonfinite loss', including disability, illness, divorce and abuse, from bereavement. With this book, professionals will have the background and strategies to help clients learn to live with their loss.


Book Synopsis Nonfinite Loss and Grief by : Elizabeth J. Bruce

Download or read book Nonfinite Loss and Grief written by Elizabeth J. Bruce and published by . This book was released on 2001 with total page 288 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This compassionate book challenges the idea that the grieving process is the same regardless of the nature of the loss. The authors distinguish 'nonfinite loss', including disability, illness, divorce and abuse, from bereavement. With this book, professionals will have the background and strategies to help clients learn to live with their loss.


Handbook of Bereavement

Handbook of Bereavement

Author: Margaret S. Stroebe

Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Published: 1993-03-26

Total Pages: 564

ISBN-13: 9780521448536

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Focusing on methodologically sound, theoretically oriented, and empirically derived knowledge, the authors provide a structured framework for researchers and practitioners.


Book Synopsis Handbook of Bereavement by : Margaret S. Stroebe

Download or read book Handbook of Bereavement written by Margaret S. Stroebe and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 1993-03-26 with total page 564 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Focusing on methodologically sound, theoretically oriented, and empirically derived knowledge, the authors provide a structured framework for researchers and practitioners.


Working with the Bereaved

Working with the Bereaved

Author: Simon Shimshon Rubin

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2012

Total Pages: 284

ISBN-13: 041588165X

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Working With the Bereaved summarizes the major themes in bereavement research and clinical work and uses the authorsâe(tm) own cutting-edge research to show mental-health practitioners how to integrate these themes into their practice. It provides clinicians with a framework for exploring their own emotional and intellectual assumptions about loss and bereavement, and it goes on to summarize state-of-the-art thinking in the field. The heart of the book focuses on the theoretical and clinical implications of the empirically validated Two-Track Model of Bereavement, as well as a variety of therapeutic techniques designed to help the bereaved both reapproach life and manage their continuing bonds with the deceased. The later chapters examine methods for integrating systems and family perspectives in therapy, for attending to the implications of culture and religion, and for meeting crises and emergencies in bereavement care. The concluding chapter addresses self-care, well-being, and resilience, offering practical guidelines for both the bereaved and those who treat them.


Book Synopsis Working with the Bereaved by : Simon Shimshon Rubin

Download or read book Working with the Bereaved written by Simon Shimshon Rubin and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012 with total page 284 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Working With the Bereaved summarizes the major themes in bereavement research and clinical work and uses the authorsâe(tm) own cutting-edge research to show mental-health practitioners how to integrate these themes into their practice. It provides clinicians with a framework for exploring their own emotional and intellectual assumptions about loss and bereavement, and it goes on to summarize state-of-the-art thinking in the field. The heart of the book focuses on the theoretical and clinical implications of the empirically validated Two-Track Model of Bereavement, as well as a variety of therapeutic techniques designed to help the bereaved both reapproach life and manage their continuing bonds with the deceased. The later chapters examine methods for integrating systems and family perspectives in therapy, for attending to the implications of culture and religion, and for meeting crises and emergencies in bereavement care. The concluding chapter addresses self-care, well-being, and resilience, offering practical guidelines for both the bereaved and those who treat them.


Compassion-Based Approaches in Loss and Grief

Compassion-Based Approaches in Loss and Grief

Author: Darcy L. Harris

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2022-12-20

Total Pages: 228

ISBN-13: 1000798313

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Compassion-Based Approaches in Loss and Grief introduces clinicians to a wide array of strategies and frameworks for engaging clients throughout the loss experience, particularly when those experiences have a protracted course. In the book, clinicians and researchers from around the world and from a variety of fields explore ways to cultivate compassion and how to implement compassion-based clinical practices specifically designed to address loss, grief, and bereavement. Students, scholars, and mental health and healthcare professionals will come away from this important book with a deepened understanding of compassion-based approaches and strategies for enhancing distress tolerance, maintaining focus, and identifying the clinical interventions best suited to clients’ needs.


Book Synopsis Compassion-Based Approaches in Loss and Grief by : Darcy L. Harris

Download or read book Compassion-Based Approaches in Loss and Grief written by Darcy L. Harris and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2022-12-20 with total page 228 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Compassion-Based Approaches in Loss and Grief introduces clinicians to a wide array of strategies and frameworks for engaging clients throughout the loss experience, particularly when those experiences have a protracted course. In the book, clinicians and researchers from around the world and from a variety of fields explore ways to cultivate compassion and how to implement compassion-based clinical practices specifically designed to address loss, grief, and bereavement. Students, scholars, and mental health and healthcare professionals will come away from this important book with a deepened understanding of compassion-based approaches and strategies for enhancing distress tolerance, maintaining focus, and identifying the clinical interventions best suited to clients’ needs.