Understanding the Stages of Grief

Elisabeth Kubler-Ross wrote a book titled ‘On Death and Dying’ almost three decades ago. In this book, she discussed what the different stages of grief were. Since then, these are used as the standard guideline to understand how people go through grief after a person close to them passes away. Here we understand what these 5 stages are:

• Denial- This is the first phase that an individual goes through when a family member or friend passes away. This denial is their way of dealing with the loss and they feel that it would help them undo this loss they have suffered. While this is quite a normal way to cope with sorrow, the stage shouldn’t extend for too long.
• Anger- In this stage people feel their loss is unfair. This makes them feel very frustrated and angry when they’re interacting with anyone around them.
• Bargaining- Here people start to think about the various “if onlys” and the “what ifs”. They keep running through all the circumstances of the person’s death in their mind and also feel that if they had done things in a different way, the person may still be with them today.
• Depression- This particular stage is filled with sadness and pain and many people suffer from these feelings for months or even years on end. They feel disinterested in everything and experience sadness and apathy all at once.
• Acceptance- This is the stage in which the healing begins and the individual begins to accept it, and slowly starts to move forward.

Everyone’s grief journey is unique to them, but these are the general stages of grief that most people go through after the death of a loved one. If you need help navigating through your grief journey please reach out to us and we can provide you with resources. You can also check out our online Grief Support section which has a wealth of helpful information for those grieving.  You can contact us at Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home via our online form or by phone at (928) 855-4949 or (928) 753-2555.