The Loneliness of Grief

This blog is brought to you in collaboration with The Natalie Kate Moss Trust.

Grief can be triggered through many different experiences. Whether it be the death of a parent, child, sibling, neighbour or friend, the impact of loss can be huge. We might also have questions about how to help ourselves such as, ‘how does the grieving process work?’; ‘what is the role of grief therapy when bereaved?’; ‘is there a difference between grief therapy and grief support?’; ‘how do we know what I need?’ 

The grief that we feel during a period of mourning can manifest in numerous different ways and impact on:

• cognitive function e.g. levels of concentration, confusion,
• bodily function e.g. tightness in the chest or throat, 
• emotional function e.g. anger, anxiety.

Here at The Retreat Clinics, having supported people with various grief experiences, we understand how complex grief can be and how deeply painful grief is. Some people may feel overwhelmed by grief, have little support from others or they may feel lost in the range of emotional, physical and cognitive symptoms they are experiencing. These people may benefit from either individual grief therapy or joining a grief support group. The Retreat Clinics can provide both and welcomes all inquiries to find out more.

Individual therapy is tailored to your specific needs and can provide 1-2-1 focused emotional support for grief work. You will have a safe and confidential space to talk about and express your feelings and you will benefit from the expertise of an experienced therapist. Sessions can be open ended according to your need and can be booked to fall in line with specific trigger events such as birthdays, anniversaries, etc. 

A bereavement group, alternatively, provides two elements of support when bereaved. Firstly, this group will be facilitated by an experienced psychotherapist with extensive knowledge of grief, and they will offer both therapeutic support and provide psychoeducation to help you navigate through grief. This will aid your understanding of grief support, how to help someone who is grieving, understand the grieving process. Secondly, we know that grief can be a very isolating experience and a bereavement group is designed to be a supportive peer led space which aids self and other understanding, and this can vastly reduce the isolation individuals can experience. 

Bereavement groups consist of a maximum of eight people with similar grief experiences and meet weekly, online, for a period of five weeks. Together the group provides grief support, learning about what comforts self and others, understand the power of being there for others and active listening, in addition to learning about the grief process and normalise your own experiences. Together we can help you and you can help others. 

If you are grieving and struggling to manage the impact of your grief, get in touch now to discuss your options and how The Retreat Clinics can help.