Loss and mourning

Abstract

The human being needs ties to grow and develop. When some of these ties are broken a period of great intensity arises that we call mourning. If the loss is radical and definitive, as in the case of death, all of the person’s dimensions are affected (the physical, emotional, cognitive, behavioural, social and spiritual dimensions), to such an extent that the person can feel unable to overcome this and/or develop a pathological mourning that requires professional intervention for recovery. Many factors intervene in the type of mourning, such as circumstances of the death, relation to the deceased, personality, previous experience and the socio-family context. For there to be complete recovery following a loss, the person affected passes through a series of stages or phases and must carry out four basic tasks: 1. Accept the reality of the loss. 2. Express emotions and pain. 3. Adapt to a setting from which the loved one is absent. 4. Emotionally resituate the deceased and continue living.