Psychotherapy and Art Therapy for Grief and Loss
The experience of grief and loss can come up in many different ways. That might be experiences of sadness, confusion, anger, among many other different emotions, from a relationship ending, from traumatic experiences, from painful childhood events, from a change in identity or life transition, from losing a loved one to death, losing a loved one who is still alive, or something else.
Facts about grief and loss
There are many different kinds of grief. This may be anticipatory grief, ambiguous grief, complicated grief, cumulative grief, among others. All this is to say that there is a spectrum of grief experiences.
Grief and loss can involve many, many different emotions and can mean feeling a multitude of emotions in a single day. It can mean feeling “normal” one moment and overwhelmed the next. Some of these emotions may include shock, numbness, loneliness, anger, confusion, relief, shame, blame, panic, anxiety, fear, depression, hope, questioning, outbursts, irritability, and resentment, among others.
Provide relief from distressing emotions
Process painful experiences for greater clarity and understanding
Increase self-compassion and coping tools
Improve mood and a clearer way forward