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Grief

Shattered glass fragments scattered on a grey surface with a blurred background. Some pieces are mid-air, capturing the moment of a glass object crashing and breaking. The image portrays motion and impact.

Grief

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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

People walking on a city street bathed in sunlight, with American flags hanging on buildings in the background. Shadows are cast on the pavement, and tall buildings line the street, creating a dramatic, contrasting light and shadow effect.

Death and dying

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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

An illustration of two deer running in a forest, surrounded by text in a historical script, bordered in red.

Grief

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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

Person wearing an electronic ankle monitor, resting on a floral-patterned sofa with a red cushion and a book beside them.

Stigma and taboo

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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

Composite image showing a burning tower with smoke billowing out and a reflection of two people looking at it.

Emotions

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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

Period painting of a woman in a brown dress with white sleeves leaning forward with her head resting on her arm in a dark, sombre setting.

Grief

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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

Silhouetted person walking a dog on a misty wooded path with sunlight filtering through trees.

Grief

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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

Tattoo on chest reads “RIP My Baby Boy” with dates “13-10-1989” and “27-02-2010,” framed by rosary beads. Hand with rings visible.

Grief

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‘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

Close-up of intricately coiled corrugated cardboard creating abstract shapes and shadow patterns against a dark background.

Emotion regulation

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What geometry taught me about awe, love and grief

I’ve loved geometry all my life. This is what it has taught me about grief, and what grief has taught me about geometry

by Michael Frame

Two men embracing closely, one biting his finger, the other crying, with city lights visible in the blurred background.

Memoir

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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

Grief

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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