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Grief

Remembering a loved one

Intervention Strategies for Navigating Grief with a Religious/Spiritual Focus

By Barbara Rubel Grief, Memories
When your grief takes on a distinctively spiritual or religious hue, it becomes crucial to acknowledge and understand the unique contours it assumes. Identifying the presence of religious or spiritual reactions serves as a gateway to implementing personalized intervention strategies, offering solace, purpose, and fortitude. In the following exploration, we delve into a spectrum of compassionate approaches crafted to assist you in preserving your spiritual connection while gracefully maneuvering the…
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Coping Compassionately: Navigating the Intersection of Behavioral and Physical Grief Reactions

By Barbara Rubel Grief, Memories No Comments
Managing Behavioral Reactions Grieving is an intricate journey, and when behavioral reactions take center stage, understanding them as a form of communication is key. Behavioral reactions are a language of their own, expressing the intricate nuances of grief. As you recognize the potential for behavioral reactions to become unhealthy coping mechanisms to process grief, consider any of the following strategies: Facing Reminders. Transform avoidance into empowerment by proactively facing reminders…
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Managing Emotional and Cognitive Grief Reactions Around the Holidays

By Barbara Rubel Grief, Holidays No Comments
Strategies for emotional pain When intense grief and emotional pain is too much to manage around the holidays, consider any of the following strategies: Metaphors. Use a metaphor analogy to describe your experience. These statements can help you describe the intensity of your loss. Discover the Power of Writing: Write about your thoughts and feelings in a journal. Write poetry or a letter to the person who died. Keep a…
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Rubel Triplets

Finding Meaning in Grief and Loss

By Barbara Rubel Grief No Comments
"It's a boy!" the doctor stated as he held up my newborn. He held up the second baby a few minutes later and declared, "It's another boy." It seemed like only a minute before he held up the third baby. I was filled with anticipation as he announced, "It's a male... triplets!". In reference to the television series My Three Sons, I assured him that Fred MacMurray would be proud.…
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Grieving Children and the Holidays

By Barbara Rubel Grief, Holidays No Comments
Do you feel as though you may not be strong enough to support your grieving child this holiday season? I recently spoke to grieving parents. They believe that they don’t have the strengths needed to support their bereaved child. I believe they can spiritually nurture their child if they are brave; have a love of learning; are honest, hopeful; have gratitude; are spiritual; and show their love, as they talk…
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When a Mother’s Heart is Broken

By Barbara Rubel Grief No Comments
Why aren’t you calling? I bet you have a host of reasons from not knowing what to say to fear you might say the wrong thing. It’s not easy picking up the phone to call a grieving mother after a child has suddenly and traumatically died. It’s a fact of life that although mothers give life, they also experience loss. The death of a child becomes an event story that…
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