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Tips for Coping with Traumatic Loss

Posted on July 30, 2014 - by Ami Neiberger-Miller

ARLINGTON, Va. – Coping with the death of a loved one is never easy, but a sudden and traumatic loss can raise special concerns for the family members and friends left behind. Aviation tragedies, combat, homicide and other types of violent deaths can be particularly difficult. These deaths are unexpected and survivors must grapple with the knowledge that their loved ones experienced trauma. Founded by a military widow after her husband died in a plane crash, the nonprofit organization Tragedy Assistance Program for Survivors (TAPS) assists bereaved military families. TAPS has assisted more than 50,000 people since 1994. More than […]

Traumatic Grief: Are You At-Risk for Post-Traumatic Stress

Posted on July 28, 2014 - by admin

Special article by Jill Harrington LaMorie, MSW, LCSW, DSW This article was first published in Volume 17 Issue 2 of TAPS Magazine. Reprinted with permission. Imagine driving down the street and crossing an intersection. You glance quickly left and right, but out of nowhere you are hit by an oncoming vehicle. The impact is painful, crushing, debilitating. It takes your breath away and spirals you out of control for what seems like an eternity. Spinning, spinning, spinning, you finally come to a stop and have the sudden realization that you have survived. Time stands still; everything around you is in […]

The Chauffeur’s Flower: Memories of an Early Loss

Posted on July 26, 2014 - by Lisa Irish

The day of my father’s funeral stands out in my mind. I remember blue sky and sunshine. It was six days after my eleventh birthday. At the end of the day, the chauffeur from the limousine handed me a carnation he had been wearing. I took it home, pressed it and always remembered the kindness of that moment in the midst of a big feeling of emptiness. My dad had been sick for a while. In fact, the Christmas before this July day, my mother announced “this would be Daddy’s last Christmas.” But that is a story for another time. […]

Colors of the Spirit: We Are All One in Grief

Posted on July 24, 2014 - by David Roberts

Embracing Sacred Law From July 11, 2014 through July 13,2014, I attended the 37th National Conference of The Compassionate Friends in Chicago, Illinois.I have been attending and presenting workshops for this great organization whose focus is to provide hope and support to families who have experienced the death of a child, since 2008. I always look forward to meeting old friends, making new ones ,and for the opportunity to share teachings that I have discovered since the last conference. Since my daughter Jeannine’s death at age 18 of cancer, on 3/1/03, I have undergone a metamorphosis from an uncertain, pain […]

Grief Down Under: Australians React to Malaysia Airlines Crash with Compassion

Posted on July 24, 2014 - by Susan Reynolds

I arrived in Belgium on 9-11-01, a visitor in a foreign country during a tragically tumultuous time of loss and confusion. Last week, I awoke in Australia to another civilian disaster — the shooting down of the Malaysia Airlines plane — with the same ingredients linking global grief and sorrow. Outcries once again echoed across borders. The television reports in Australia were somber and as factual as possible. I was overwhelmed by the lack of “finger pointing” and their grieving words. This is a country of adventurers and mavericks. Traveling is in the genes of the Aussies, encouraged by the […]

How to Live Through Intense Grief

Posted on July 22, 2014 - by Dena Clayton

Loss has been a prevalent theme intersecting with my life over the past six weeks. In this time, there have been four deaths of people whose lives have touched me warmly: my sweetheart’s precious mother; a beloved cousin; a compassionate former colleague; and, a man whose contagious smile I first remember when we were both kids and our families attended the same church. As well, one friend’s adult step-daughter and another friend’s father died during this time. I wish I could hug all of the people grieving their losses. I bow to their beautiful spirits of Fran, Connie, Estelle, Danny, […]

Adult Sibling Loss: Interview with Dr. Brenda Marshall

Posted on July 22, 2014 - by admin

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Dr. Brenda Marshall about adult sibling loss. Brenda got into this field when her younger brother Brent died eight years ago. It was then that she realized there’s not very much support for siblings. That realization called on her to ask the question “Why?” and “What can I do about it?” I asked Brenda why she thinks people don’t understand how significant a sibling loss is. Hear Brenda’s response in the video below. Here are some key takeaways from the video: For one thing, a lot of […]

Heaven…When Malaysian Plane Arrives

Posted on July 21, 2014 - by Paula Ezop

Darkness spread throughout heaven…and, all of heaven was filled with sadness…the moment when God heard his children on Malaysia flight number MH17 cry out for help…and, the angel choirs were silent…and, God wept openly for his children… God wept openly as he heard from the pilots, flight attendants, and passengers on the plane that was headed for destruction on that fateful day. His children were crying out for help. The angels stood in silence…and God cried out in anguish! His anger filled the air and for but a moment, the world fell silent as God’s children looked straight into the […]

The Malaysian Airlines Crash: Reflections on Grief After Tragedy

Posted on July 20, 2014 - by David Roberts

This past Thursday (7/18/14), Malaysian Airlines flight MH 17 was hit by a missile while flying over the Ukraine. All told, 298 individuals from 11 countries, including 80 children were killed. Recalling My Past When I first heard of this tragic event, I immediately recalled the terrorist attack involving Pan Am Flight 103 on December 21, 1988. Pan Am Flight 103, a London to New York flight, exploded over Lockerbie, Scotland. A total of 270 people were killed, 259 of which had been on board the plane and another 11 had been killed from the debris that hit the ground. […]

Teens and Homicide: Interview with Dr. Tashel Bordere

Posted on July 19, 2014 - by admin

At the annual ADEC (Association of Death Education and Counseling), I spoke with Dr. Tashel Bordere about her work with teens and the effects of homicide on their lives. In the video below, Tashel shares some of the most important things she has learned during her work with teens and homicide. Here are some key takeaways from the video: Youth are very disenfranchised in terms of not getting a lot of the services they need. This stems from myths and stereotypes that youth don’t have feelings surrounding the multiple losses they have experienced. Tashel says one of the main things […]