Coping with death

The death of a loved one is often hard to bear and can precipitate the grieving person into deep crisis. This emotional and existential stressor is probably one of the most common and strongest stressors in our modern society, apart from war and the experience of physical violence or sexual abuse.

Many people feel helplessly exposed to the arbitrariness of life and can develop symptoms that can escalate to symptoms of a major depression. This includes:

- Sleep disorders
- Depressive mood
- Social withdrawal
- Weight gain or weight loss
- Lethargy and extraordinary tiredness
- Inner feeling of unrest
- A sense of emptiness or a feeling of being burnt out
- Feeling of numbness
- Difficulty concentrating (at school or at work)

It is also possible to develop psychosomatic symptoms, such as:

- Sudden pain symptoms
- Symptoms of nervous stomach or irritable bowel syndrome (indigestion, pain)
- Increased levels of inflammation in the body
- Triggering of rheumatism or fibromyalgia
- High blood pressure
- Increased heart rate
- Pressure on the chest or in the heart area (paraesthesias)

This is to name just a few. To help you cope better with such a loss, I offer discussions about your existing thoughts and feelings. In these confidential conversations it is important that you can talk about everything related to this event. Often it is easier to accept a farewell if you are aware of your feelings and that there is a place where you can express these. Furthermore, I would like to reflect upon your view of the world. Near-death research often gives hope to many people who have lost a loved one. The emerging idea that it may only be a temporary farewell or separation and it has the potential to give hope where everything seemed lost. Potentially, this insight has the power to change your life completely in a positive way.