Hi, I’m going to correct you on this one, as it is a major pet peeve of mine, and we don’t talk enough about grief and rely on outdated information. I am a Mental Health and Grief Counsellor. The stages of grief are absolutely not linear, nor does everyone go through all of them. Kubler-Ross who came up with the theory hated that it was taken out of context. The thinking these days is that each person’s grief is different and is informed by a variety of factors. People also experience grief differently at each new grief experience. Also a past grief can also greatly influence the grief someone experiences with a new grief event.
I will share some links below-
“These stages are meant to be descriptive, not prescriptive. This means they won’t necessarily apply to everyone or happen in the order presented. It’s common to weave in and out of stages and experience elements of them at the same time.
“Some people don’t go through all the stages,” Dr. Josell says, “and it’s not always nice and sequential. You may move in and out of different stages.””
Above From The Cleveland Clinic
What Are the Stages of Grief?
Types of Grief People may experience
Everyone grieves in their own unique way, and most grieving journeys do not follow a linear pattern.
www.verywellmind.com
Ambiguous Loss- This tern was coined by researcher, Dr Pauline Boss. This would be how I would characterize the loss the Guthrie family is currently experiencing.
Ambiguous loss occurs when the loss of a loved one is unresolved and their physical or psychological status is uncertain. There is no clear conclusion or resolution with this type of loss. Some ways to cope with and heal from ambiguous loss include counseling, finding the right support systems...
www.choosingtherapy.com
I hope the above is helpful to someone out there. Remember, grief is normal and okay. It’s different for all of us. My biggest advice- be gentle with yourself, first and foremost.
Edited to fix typos, dang fingers.