{"id":342300,"date":"2024-09-19T13:04:39","date_gmt":"2024-09-19T17:04:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/?p=342300"},"modified":"2024-09-25T15:44:27","modified_gmt":"2024-09-25T19:44:27","slug":"grief-how-to-heal-the-pain-of-loss","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/post\/grief-how-to-heal-the-pain-of-loss\/","title":{"rendered":"Grief: How To Heal the Pain of Loss?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The Natural Process of Grieving<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p>Naturally, human beings don\u2019t like to lose. Loss causes a feeling of separation, which, in many cases, is painful and manifests itself either through the absence of a loved one or the loss of a job, a relationship, a company, a dream, or even an amputation. This pain can manifest itself physically, but it usually remains within the person who feels injured, leading to grief.<\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Psychologist C\u00e1ssia Nunes Alves explains that<\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> \u201cgrief is a natural process resulting from the breaking of a significant bond existing in a human being\u2019s life, represented by a loss, such as death, the breaking of a relationship or connections.\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0 During this period, the individual may express <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">a series of<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> feelings, including shock, apathy, sadness, guilt, and helplessness.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>As explained by Alves, grief is a process of readjustment to reality, divided into five phases: <em>\u201cdenial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.\u201d<\/em> Denial is characterized by the rejection of loss, which can lead to the next phase, which is anger. This feeling can influence the behavior of the mourner, who sees reality as an injustice. The bargaining phase is marked by the desire to do something to reverse that loss. Then, the awareness of reality leads to depression, which is the time of sadness over loss. And finally, acceptance occurs, which is not synonymous with forgetting but rather with moving forward.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4><strong><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Open Wound<\/span><\/strong><\/h4>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-342303 alignright\" src=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-2-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-2-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-2-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-2-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-2-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-2-132x132.jpg 132w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-2-318x318.jpg 318w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-2.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Grief can vary due to factors such as the bereaved person\u2019s personality, their experiences of previous losses, the circumstances of the loss, and the existence of a support network. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">It is <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">important<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> that grief is<\/span> <span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">experienced completely<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> until its acceptance. Otherwise, the pain will become a constant companion. <\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cA person whose grief <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">is poorly healed<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> experiences death in their own life; they become a living person who feels as if they were dead,\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0 explained <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Bishop Renato Cardoso<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> in the <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.universal.org\/en\/renato-cardoso\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><em>Intelligence and Faith<\/em><\/a><\/span> program.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">In practice, hiding the pain does not solve the problem; It is necessary to face it so that hope and comfort gain space in the soul. It is worth highlighting that the person who has gone through the experience of loss is not always aware that they are living in a cycle marked by poorly healed grief. <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Some signs can help identify this situation, such as <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> feeling <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">of loneliness<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> despite having someone to count on and the act of living life in \u201cautopilot,\u201d without any motivation.<\/span> <em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cA third sign is resentment against God for allowing the loss. There is the thought: \u2018He knew how important this was to me, but He allowed it<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u2019.<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> So, the person becomes resentful of God, and many even become atheists because of this. Many who call themselves atheists today are individuals who have become resentful of God because of a loss they never understood,\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0 said the Bishop.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Emotional instability, hallucinations of the person who passed away, and the obsession with getting back what was lost are also signs of poorly healed grief. Identifying these points and recognizing that there is still an open wound are the first steps toward complete healing.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h4>How to Move Forward?<\/h4>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">The truth is that it is impossible to go through life without experiencing any type of loss. <em>\u201cNothing lasts forever; everything has an expiration date. And when a person understands this, it becomes easier for them to go through the grief phase in a way that causes less harm,\u201d<\/em> explains\u00a0Psychologist C\u00e1ssia Nunes Alves.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Although there are no specific statistics on the topic, an article published in <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.e-publicacoes.uerj.br\/revispsi\/article\/download\/59375\/37515?inline=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2021 in the magazine <\/a><\/span><em>Estudos e Pesquisas em Psicologia\u2014<\/em>from the Institute of Psychology of the State University of Rio de Janeiro (<span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.uerj.br\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">UERJ<\/a><\/span>)\u2014analyzed the condition of parents who lost their small children and concluded that faith is beneficial for overcoming loss. According to the <span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><a style=\"color: #0000ff;\" href=\"https:\/\/www.e-publicacoes.uerj.br\/revispsi\/article\/download\/59375\/37515?inline=1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">study,<\/a><\/span> religiosity\/spirituality can serve as a support and assistance factor, which can contribute to the meaning of loss.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-342304 alignleft\" src=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-3-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-3-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-3-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-3-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-3-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-3-132x132.jpg 132w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-3-318x318.jpg 318w, https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/8\/2024\/09\/Relationships-3.jpg 1080w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">Recognizing this human need, God sent His Spirit to Earth, also known as the Holy Spirit and Comforter, as Bishop Renato explained. <\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cThe Holy Spirit helps us see situations from a new perspective, alleviates the pain in our hearts, revives us, and strengthens us to move forward, preserving the good memories of the past and relieving sadness. It provides profound healing for grief,\u201d<\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u00a0 he affirmed.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">However, the role of human beings is to react to pain. It is necessary to be honest with yourself and with God, forgive yourself, free yourself from guilt, and remove your heart from the things of the past. <\/span><em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">\u201cSome people hold on to the pain because they think they are holding on to what <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">they<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\"> have lost, but they are deceiving themselves with <\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">the pain<\/span><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">. We need to say goodbye to the pain so the Holy Spirit can take it away completely,\u201d\u00a0 <\/span><\/em><span data-preserver-spaces=\"true\">concluded the Bishop.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&nbsp; The Natural Process of Grieving Naturally, human beings don\u2019t like to lose. Loss causes a feeling of separation, which, in many cases, is painful and manifests itself either through the absence of a loved one or the loss of a job, a relationship, a company, a dream, or even an amputation. This pain can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":248,"featured_media":342301,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,371],"tags":[94],"site":[],"class_list":["post-342300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-lifestyle","category-defeat-depression","tag-depression"],"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/248"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=342300"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342300\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":343077,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342300\/revisions\/343077"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/342301"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=342300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=342300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=342300"},{"taxonomy":"site","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/universalchurchusa.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/site?post=342300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}