Post-Loss Growth (PLG) in bereavement: The missing link in posttraumatic growth

Posttraumatic growth in the bereaved, representing a clinically useful and evidence-based construct, refers to those dimensions of growth arising from the death of another, just as it might arise from exposure to any other highly stressful event. However, this neglects unique expressions of growth deriving from the pre- and post-death relationship of the survivor to the deceased. We propose the term Post-Loss Growth (PLG) to highlight how this relational component influences the “self” of the bereaved in a way that is not reducible to the traumatic experience of the death per se. The Two-Track Model of Bereavement (TTMB) and the Meaning Reconstruction paradigm clarify how attention to the continuing bond with the deceased can help conceptualize both difficulties and growth following loss. Clinical vignettes and an extended case study illustrate the contribution of Post-Loss Growth to assessment and intervention, and by extension, to research as well.