There are lots of events in life that could cause feelings of grief in anyone.  Grief can be
described as the reaction to the loss of someone or something that is dear to us.  There are many
different types of life events that can cause feelings of grief:

    •   Loss of parents, grandparents, siblings or other relatives through death or just getting
    out of touch due to growing apart or moving away
    •   Loss of a partner through death, separation, divorce or simply a lack of closeness
    •   Loss of children through death or even just moving away out of the house or to college.  
    •   Loss of potential children or grandchildren because of infertility, miscarriage or
    homosexuality
    •   Loss of a job, career opportunity, youth, health or fitness or even loss of community if you
    have moved away
    •   Loss of a pet, for which there is sometimes little support from others because “it’s only a
    pet”    

    Any kind of personal loss can trigger feelings of grief, loss and bereavement.  The strength of
these feelings can be affected by many kinds of circumstances:

    •   Closeness to the deceased; either a spouse, parent or child or else a more distant relative
    or friend
    •   The way that the person left, either through a prolonged illness or else a sudden death
    •   For partners, an affair, abuse, a broken engagement or other abrupt separation
    •   For pet owners, being forced to choose to euthanize a loved pet who was suffering

    After the initial shock of the loss, the symptoms of grief reactions are perfectly natural and
may persist for weeks, months or years.  They include:

    •   Intense feelings of shock, guilt, irritability, anger or preoccupation with death
    •   Crying or sobbing without real provocation
    •   Sleeping or eating too little or too much
    •   Difficulty concentrating, remembering, reasoning or making decisions
    •   Becoming apathetic and not able to enjoy favorite pastimes, or other symptoms of
    •   Hallucinations or dreams about the lost loved one

    Many times, intense feelings of grief simply tend to work themselves out but never disappear
entirely.  Grief counseling may be called for if ….

    •   The feelings do not diminish over time, and continue to disrupt your daily life’s functioning
    •   The grieving seems out of proportion to the triggering loss  
    •    If there was trauma involved with the loss that may interfere with normal grief resolution

    Suzanne sometimes uses EMDR to help people work through their grief in a healthy way.
Please contact Suzanne at her office in Rockville, Maryland to see how she can help you.
Grief and Loss
Suzanne Corcoran, LCSW-C
                      Counseling for Couples and Individuals in Rockville, Maryland
Suzanne Y. Corcoran, LCSW-C  1107 Nelson Street,  Suite 202,  Rockville, Maryland 20850  Phone: 301-590-0204
info@suzannecorcoran.com