Grief That Dares Not Speak Its Name

I am a psychotherapist who specializes in bereavement and loss. For over a decade, my work has involved accompanying the bereaved on their grief journeys. Grief work has taught me a great deal about our society’s attitudes towards loss and bereavement. We are socially pressured to “get over” our losses quickly and without any fuss. We are told to “pull it together” regardless of our pain and suffering. We have devised categories of inclusion regarding what we identify as legitimate or illegitimate grief. Certain losses command formal recognition by all of us, while other grievings are relegated to the sub-basement of our collective psyches.