Lets Talk About: Chronic Sorrow
- ISBN-10
- 1660738008
- ISBN-13
- 9781660738007
- Pages
- 104
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2020-01-14
- Author
- Dr Wendy Thorley
Description
Throughout life children, young people and adults encounter a wide range of losses. Some of these losses are 'finite' such as the death of someone close to the family, a friend or a pet. For some children 'finite' losses can be non-animate, such as a favourite toy or blanket that they have become attached to. Living with loss is something that all individuals accommodate throughout their lifetime, some more readily than others depending on the loss experience. Grieving is a recognised process of variable time associated with 'finite' loss experiences, that helps us understand why we feel the way we do following loss. However, not all loss is finite, yet we still need to grieve for the loss experience. Over the past four to five decades there have been a range of emerging discussions to help us understand our feelings of grief when experiencing 'non-finite loss' or 'ambiguous loss'; much of these discussions tend to be considered within medical fields or related health professions. Yet, for many individuals knowing the feelings they are experiencing are within the 'norms' of everyday life might help them to build their own internal and external support systems for coping with their feelings. When there is lack of recognition or support for those who are experiencing a loss that is ambiguous or non-finite 'chronic sorrow' may occur. Chronic sorrow reflects the sense of 'sadness' that often continues for those who live with ambiguous loss or non-finite loss. Chronic sorrow is fluid in duration and of variable levels yet often remains throughout the lifetime of the individual. This does not mean that these individuals cannot be happy, settled or optimistic- they can- but they also continue to have a level of sense of loss or 'sadness' for what was, whilst also managing and living with 'what is'.The purpose of this book is to open up discussions of chronic sorrow, ambiguous loss and non-finite loss, recognising and acknowledging it's OK to feel sad, you can 'miss' what was and experience a sense of loss without being depressed, you can grieve for 'what was' without a timescale for recovering from this grief, you may continue with your life for a number of years and then re-experience a period of loss, the sense of loss may last only a few minutes or may last longer. Most importantly you can develop your internal and external support systems that will help you recognise and accept the sense of loss for what it is and continue on in your life towards a different future
