Complicated Grief

The grief cycle always stings but it does include recovery via acceptance and adapation. Nonetheless, sometimes reactions to grief go well beyond the natural cycle and the skills of a grief counselor and require higher help. Abnormal or complicated grief can occur and in these cases requires this higher help. Abnormal characteristics include chronic depression, delayed grief, distorted grief, excessive grief, masked grief, or concomitant grief.

When analzying these reactions a few things need to be noted. First within a subjective element. The person who expeirences the grief reacts differently than another person may to the same thing. This is a result to the level of attachment to the thing or person valued. The greater the attachment, the greater reaction. The greater the reaction, the greater possibility for complicated reactions. Some reactions can be chronic depressive, some delayed and others masked.

From an objective standpoint, the grief event can be concomitant/multiple events or traumatic. The more severe the event the greater the reaction. This is the case of traumatic grief which is a result of a devistating event. These can include natural disasters, war, sudden loss, or mass death. Survivial guilt, death imprints and Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome can all result from these.

In most cases, complicated grief reactions require medication and professional counseling. A grief counselor can work in concordance with an LPC. It is the primary duty of the grief counselor to pin point symptoms of complicated grief and direct their client to the appropritate help.