Domains of Grief: Spiritual
Multiple burning candles against a black background.
Last but not least, we have arrived at our discussion about the spiritual domain of grief. When talking about the spiritual domain this is where we look at the “why” questions that people can ask, such as:
“Why go on living?”
Will my life have meaning?”
“Where is God in this?”.
People are trying to make sense of a loss. This is no easy journey because sometimes there are no clear answers as to why. We may also try to find meaning and reestablish a sense of identity (Servaty-Seib & Chapple, 2021).
When we experience a loss we can experience the loss of a mirror in our life. For example, if someone had a child die, the question that may arise is, “Am I still a mother/father?” Another example that is not death related may be, “My parent is in jail. What does my life look like now without my parent?”
Themes that can arise include:
Questioning religious beliefs
Feeling abandoned or punished by God or spiritual being
Disruption in religious practice
Feeling disconnected from purpose and meaning
Spiritual numbness or fatigue
Dreams or experiences
Increased spiritual awareness
Seeking comfort in faith
Remember people may experience none, one, or more of these, as each person is different and so is their grief journey. The trick is not to judge these experiences and, instead, invite self-compassion or compassion if it is another person and be present. Two of the Six Needs of Mourning are searching for meaning and developing a new self-identity (Wolfelt, 2006). Developing a new self-identity goes back to losing a mirror in your life. When it comes to searching for meaning there are many different ways and examples that we could look at. One of the ones that is often used is that of someone losing a loved one to cancer and that person going into cancer advocacy work.
The spiritual domain of grief is one that is hard to write about because of what feels like nebulous space. And yet, it is essential to remember on a grief journey.
take action today moment:
Take some time for what you just read to sink in. How did you understand the spiritual domain of grief and the potential spectrum of experiences? Be present to what is coming up for you in terms of thoughts, feelings, and emotions.
Learn More About grief and the Spiritual domain:
Culturally Informed Trauma and Grief Recovery Toolkit
References
Servaty-Seib, H. L. & Chapple, H. S. (Eds.). (2021). Handbook of Thanatology (3rd Edition). Association for Death Education and Counseling.
Wolfelt, A. D. (2006). Companioning the bereaved: A soulful guide for caregivers. Companion Press