A New Look at Grief Beyond Elisabeth Kubler-Ross ’s Five Stages

A few weeks ago, I said goodbye to a long time, dear friend who had become a sister of choice, a traveling companion, a ‘kvetch and moan’ sounding board, as well as a compassionate confidant who didn’t hesitate to call me on my stuff when needed. She died after a nearly two-year encounter with cancer. I hesitate to call it a battle as many do when given the diagnosis that she was. She was more a reluctant dance partner with the disease, attempting to improvise her way through the steps and turns, choreographing her own strut and sway. No tiptoe through the tulips. Ondreah was a career nurse who knew her way through the medical model, being on one side of the stethoscope until she found herself on the other. She took on the role of instructor as well as patient, educating her treatment team about how to provide not only stellar physical care, but in addition, emotional and spiritual care, to her as a unique individual. She expressed both courage and genuine, from-the-gut fear. Both equally legit reactions. She passed on December 9, 2018, a bit before 1 a.m. in the presence of her sister, two friends and me. She drifted onto her next place on the wings of a Hindu mantra known as the Gayatri Mantra. It was the boat that ferried her to the Other Side. In dreams recently, I recognized that there are far more than five stages of grief that companion Elisabeth Kubler-Ross’s theory. Anger Denial Bargaining Depression Acceptance I initially found out about this theor...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Family Friends Grief and Loss Health-related Inspiration & Hope Personal Relationships Bereavement Coping grieving Source Type: blogs