After one or two months, it is not unusual or uncommon to be in bereavement. However, prolonged bereavement might be a hint to traumatic grief and post-traumatic stress. While there may be similarities and commonalities among the people who are experiencing grief, grief is much more complicated and unique to the individual. It is necessary that you take everything you read and learn about grief with a pinch of salt. There are various forms of grief that are not necessarily true or applicable to everyone who is suffering from losing a loved one. If you are curious as to whether you, or a friend that you know, is going through grief associated with a traumatic nature of loss, we recommend that you continue to read this article.
You might have heard of the term ‘traumatic loss’. But what does that exactly mean? A traumatic loss might refer to a death that happened untimely and without warning. A death is defined as traumatic if there was violence involved. This also includes death where a perpetrator with the intent to cause harm was involved or when the death was seen as preventable. If the survivor thinks that the death was unfair or unjust or cause a great deal of suffering to the deceased, the loss would be seen as traumatic as well. As you can see, the definition for what constitutes as a traumatic loss or death is very broad. There are many other factors that affect the risk of trauma as well, such as being blamed for the death or having to make major medical decisions about life support or euthanasia.
General research point towards a trend of traumatic grief resulting in severe distress. Prolonged bereavement can often end up in a diagnosis of PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). The challenge is two-fold: having to cope with grief and having to deal with the trauma that comes with the grief. Both experiences are very different and yet, it is easy to be tangled and caught in-between. Emotions and thoughts can feel stuck and blended together. After a traumatic loss, everything about the world, about life and about oneself can become shattered. One starts to question and ruminate about every topic that they once trusted or took for granted. It can be hard for such grievers to trust people.
It is crucial that a solid support system is formed for the griever. It is a small but critical step in allowing the griever to seek help and resources. Traumatic grief is complicated and not all therapists may be able to help. Those who are experienced working with trauma as well as grief are better equipped to alleviate the griever’s problems.
For generations, Embrace Funeral Services has been assisting with the essential arrangements of funeral services in Singapore. The team of undertakers pride themselves on their experience and professionalism in being the one stop funeral service provider with honest and affordable rates. For more information on personalised and dignified care, contact Embrace Funeral Services today!
