Anticipatory Grief Essay

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Life happens, and so does death as it is also a part of life. Moreover, in many cases, some of us will have to go through the experience of anticipating death in ourselves or in a loved one as opposed to a sudden death in the family. In other words, both the family and the person involved start to grieve, even before the parting actually takes place.

Humanity has long experienced grief after death; however, only recently has the realm of anticipatory or preparatory grieving been explored to any degree. Our article below covers several aspects that may help those going through such a life event recognize the most common underlying symptoms and understand the process. Hopefully, it will help not only the families affected but the very loved one that soon will not be a part of the family unit. …show more content…

Anticipatory grief, as opposed to the more commonly documented conventional form of grief, can be turned into an experience that does not necessarily have to bring depression, withdrawal or cessation of lifestyle. Simply put, it can be turned into a positive experience for all parties involved.

Similar to conventional after-the-event grieving, preparatory grief is a unique experience in several ways. Anger may be evident and general loss of emotional control as well. It is a time of uncertainty and unfamiliarity with the transition that is taking place before the person 's eyes or that of the family. There 's a sensitive and tender balance that everyone goes through in trying to hold on, yet let go at the same time.

One particular study in Sweden rated grief before the loss as being even more severe than that taking place after the loss. More than 40 percent of the women studied admitted that the pre-loss phase was more severe than the post-death experience. It is estimated that 22 to 75 percent of patients who are dying experience some clinical depression; however, depression is not clinically considered a normal part of the dying

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