Grief and Loss Are Normal Life Experiences at Any Age - East Bay Women's Therapy Alliance

Terry Hatcher, PhD, REAT, RAS • Anne Sagewood, MFT • Victoria Stiefvater, MFT, NCC

GRIEF AND LOSS

“Although the world is full of suffering, it is also full of the overcoming of it”
Helen Keller (20^th century American writer)

Grief and loss are normal life experiences for human beings at any age. For those of the Baby Boomer Generation and older, life can involve confronting multiple losses: the death of parents and peers; children leaving home; the loss of a partner due to death or divorce; changes in income due to retirement or job loss; loss of sexual pleasure due to changes in sexual appetite and functioning and loss of meaning due to changes in established roles and activities. All of these losses bring up the question of what to do with the empty spaces within and without. Creating a warm and loving relationship with a therapist can alleviate some of the symptoms, such as isolation, substance abuse, loss of appetite, promiscuity, sleep disorders, depression, illnesses and suicidal ideation.