Everyone knows about the stages of grief. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Most folks think of it as a formula, A, then B, etc. Not true. What emotional process is linear? Actual grief, if it has a structure at all, is more like a corkscrew. All that the 5 Stage model really does...and does well, I think...is predicts the round of feelings and states you are likely to experience when you are in mourning, not the order. It normalizes an unfortunately normal and natural condition where people sometimes find themselves freaked out about their own feelings. You typically start out in denial (No, this can't be happening) and if all goes as nature intends, eventually you accept the loss. Doesn't mean you are cool with it, but it becomes a part of your life rather than the center of your life.
One thing I have discovered about the five stages of grief this week is that you can go through them all in twenty minutes.
1 comment:
Does it include Explosive Frustration?
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