Bereavement is characterised by loss. Although often relating to the death of a significant person, bereavement can also be for the loss of a job, identity, or in cases where a sudden memory of a suppressed event is evoked, the loss of the person we thought we were. The grieving process allows the person to come to terms with the loss and to move on in life.
Symptoms of Bereavement can include shock, denial, anger, guilt, depression and anxiety. Bereaved people frequently suffer from sleep disturbance, loss of appetite, and illness.
Psychotherapy helps the bereaved person to accept the reality of the loss, work through the feelings associated with the grief, such as resentment, guilt, frustration and regret, and adjust to life with the loss, whilst moving on to form new relationships and interests.