Coping with Bereavement

Grief is the process by which we realise and adjust to any significant loss in our life. It is a natural healing process which needs to be allowed free expression.

The death of someone we love is perhaps the most intense and severe bereavement we can experience, but such bereavement may also occur with other losses such as divorce, the loss of a home, health, job or the loss of a pet.

Grief is an intensely personal experience. Every death is unique and everyone affected will respond differently.

Most people will pass through similar phases of grief. After initial shock, numbness, and often denial, the bereaved may experience anger, guilt, sadness, and many other feelings, adjusting sometimes painfully and slowly towards an acceptance of the loss.

John Allison/Monkhouse has trained nurses, doctors and clergy in this field and also offers a library of information to help grieving persons. Finally, we have annual remembrance services each year to remember loved ones who have passed.