Grief

Photo of a glass shattering on a grey surface with shards scattered mid-air and on the ground.
GRIEF
17

Grief is not a process with five stages. It is shattered glass

The five stages describe a grief that’s knowable and controlled. An accident in my kitchen helped me find a truer metaphor

by Joshua Thomas

Photo of a person walking a dog on a forest path with sunlight streaming through trees.
GRIEF
20

Seeing grieving as learning explains why the process takes time

Standard features of human memory and learning can help explain the disorientation that follows the death of a loved one

by Saren H Seeley & Mary-Frances O’Connor

Photo of a man relaxing on a garden lounger with hands behind head smiling, surrounded by chairs and a bottle on the grass.
GRIEF

Why do so many of us blame ourselves after a loved one’s death?

After losing my father, I felt the guilt and regret that burden many other bereaved people – and found a way to carry them

by Delaney Rebernik

Photo of people crossing a street in a city. Sunlight casts long shadows. Skyscrapers and flags are in the background.
DEATH AND DYING
2

Why so many of us see our loved ones after they have died

These experiences – which are more of an illusion than a hallucination – can be a healthy part of the grieving process

by Shayla Love

Sepia-toned photo of a woman outdoors with eyes closed and hands clasped, wearing a dark shawl against a blurred landscape.
GRIEF
2

How to express your grief

The initial shock might be over. But you need time and space to ‘ride the wave’ of grief if you are to find a sense of peace

by Sue Morris

Photograph of a person lying on a floral sofa wearing jeans socks and an ankle monitor with a red cushion nearby.
STIGMA AND TABOO

The families of people who commit sex crimes need care and support

While they deal with a kind of grief, the relatives of those who harm others sexually are subject to blame and judgment

by Azadeh Nematy

Painting of a seated woman with her head resting on her arm, wearing a brown dress with a white sleeve, against a dark background.
GRIEF
10

There is consolation in a philosophical approach to grief

Grief feels bad, but that doesn’t mean we’d be better without it. By highlighting what we value, it can help us adapt to loss

by Michael Cholbi

Photo of rolled corrugated paper forming spirals and curves, with light creating shadows on its textured surface.
EMOTION REGULATION

What geometry taught me about grief

And how thinking about grief gave me new insights into geometry

by Michael Frame

Photo of a burning tower with smoke, reflects a man and woman standing nearby in an urban setting.
EMOTIONS
6

What it means for something to ‘sink in’ emotionally

The impact of important events is more than an emotion or mood – it must ‘sink in’, which is a process that unfolds in time

by Matthew Ratcliffe

Black and white photo of ancient ruins with a large archway and detailed facade a lone figure walks in the foreground.
GRIEF

Ancient Akkadian poems and medical texts reveal grief’s universals

The oldest story in the world, the ‘Epic of Gilgamesh’, shows us that the pain of grief is a fundamental part of being human

by Moudhy Al-Rashid

Painting of a woman with large eyes wearing dark clothes surrounded by bold colours including red and yellow.
GRIEF

The loss remains, so why does intense grief usually fade?

Grief’s ‘double vision’ beholds both the bereaved and dead. Recognising this duality helps explain our ability to move on

by Berislav Marušić

Photo of a tattoo on a person’s chest. It reads “RIP My Baby Boy” with dates and a rosary design around the text.
GRIEF

‘A tattoo is for life’: how memorial tattoos help the bereaved

More intimate and permanent than other reminders, tattoos offer an embodied form of meaning-making in the wake of loss

by Jennifer L Buckle & Sonya Corbin Dwyer

Photo of two men hugging in a sombre moment at night one has a tear running down his face.
MEMOIR
6

The hug from a stranger that helped me overcome my grief

Levinas explains how connecting with strangers helped me move through my grief to imagine new possibilities for the future

by Will Buckingham

Elderly man in a weathered hat and coat, with a grey beard, lighting a cigarette, set against a blurred outdoor background.
EMOTIONS
2

Scenes unfold like Romantic paintings in a touching meditation on grief

Directed by Hayk Matevosyan

Illustration of a woman floating in space surrounded by large hands and small stars on a dark background.
ALTERED STATES

The psychic who healed me

It was just like her – my bold, dead mother – to show up in my life again. Or was grief playing tricks on me?

by Amanda Leigh Lichtenstein

Illustration of two deer running in a forest with Arabic script on the side and bottom, from a historical manuscript.
GRIEF

After my mom died, I found comfort in a medieval Andalusi tale

Ibn Tufayl’s story of a man mourning the gazelle who raised him helped me appreciate the interconnection of all things

by Veronica Menaldi