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Articles:

What To Do When Someone Dies And There Was No Time For Goodbyes

Not infrequently, death occurs and surviving family members and friends do not have the opportunity to say goodbye to the loved one who died. Fatal automobile accidents and heart attacks, hurricanes, murders, and many other unexpected events are the catalysts for much anxiety and deeply felt grief. Many survivors are guilt ridden when in fact there is clearly no outward cause for such guilt. They did nothing wrong. Yet, unexpected death often wipes out our ability to see that we did not create the circumstances to cause the emotion being experienced. Sometimes dying people choose to die when those close […]

Dr. Heidi Clears the Air

The death of a child or sibling understandably turns ones world upside down, plunging them into the dark depths of grief.? It has been my experience that the age of the person that died and their relationship to the survivor makes a significant difference in how one copes.? Six months is a very short period of time following the death of a child or sibling, and it is normal that one would still be mourning this kind of loss.? Therefore, we were perplexed to see that a recent article in the Chicago Tribune found that most people?s anguish eases after […]

Dr. Gloria Offers a Formal Reponse to Chicago Tribune’s “Scientists meaure 5 stages of Grief”

Dear Dr. Prigerson, I just wanted to share with you the response to Ronald Kotulak’s article that we will be putting on our blog.? We have been receiving angry e-mails regarding his generalizing your study to bereaved parents.? If you or the other authors have any comments please send them off to us and we will add them to the blog.? We will also be talking about the article on our internet radio show next Thursday.? Thanks, Gloria Horsley ? This is a response to the article From the Chicago Tribune Scientists measure 5 stages of Grief by Ronald Kotulak, […]

Scientists measure 5 stages of grief

Most people’s anguish eases after six months; others might need treatment, study finds By Ronald Kotulak Tribune science reporter Published February 20, 2007, 10:31 PM CST (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0702210198feb21,1,938128.story) When a loved one dies, people go through five stages of grieving, according to accepted wisdom: disbelief, yearning, anger, depression and acceptance. Now the first large-scale study to examine the five stages suggests that they are accurate, and that if a person has not moved through the negative stages in six months, he or she may need professional help dealing with the bereavement. The study, published in Wednesday’s issue of the Journal of […]

A Response from Dr. Heidi

As far as the term “acceptance” goes, I don’t know how the authors are operationally defining this term.? They might be defining it as “realizing that the death is permanent and the person is not going to return.”? What I would like to have more info. on is:? I would like to see the sample broken down more (I need to see the original study).? Possibly those that are still depressed after 6 mos. are those that lost children.? Those that are not depressed might be people who have lost elderly parents.? I think the age of the person that […]

Response to “5 Stages of Grief Scientific Study”

The scientific study that is referred to in this article is NOT scientific. I do not know how this study was conducted nor is that important, but the conclusions drawn are erroneous. How can you measure the depth of grief? One cannot say that dealing with grief after a sudden loss is more difficult than dealing with loss after illness. The only way you could know that is if one lost the same loved one in both ways-which of course is impossible. A person who lost a loved one after a long illness may look at someone else?s sudden loss […]

Poem: To Tucker, Our Sweetie Boy

They say you’re in Heaven To comfort, I guess. Don’t they know that Your presence we miss? In God we take solace Each and every day, But our loss of you hurts us anyway. We only got to enjoy you for a little while. Humor and laughter were definitely your style. Your animals, Buddy, Postulio and Sushi are still here. What they are thinking isn’t quite clear. Our memories of you are never ending. But certainly don’t replace time together we were spending. Remnants of you litter our house. Not a thing has been changed In hopes of your return. […]

For Widows Only–6 Ways To Have A Happier New Year

Happy New Year! Yeah, I know. You’re thinking what’s with this writer? Life sucks without Him by your side. How dare she use the H word and wish me a Happy New Year. Well, I feel your pain. Really, I do, because I am a widow, too. But, I’m here to tell you, everything will be alright. No, it won’t be like it was before He left. But yes, you can and you will get through 2007–With a smile.

For Widows Only-You Know You’re A Widow When

At the end of a good day you bust out crying for no particular reason. At the end of a bad day you burst out laughing for no particular reason. At the end of everyday, you crawl into bed and sleep on His side. You refuse to throw away His toothbrush, His razor, His bar of soap. Because you think He’ll need them.

Anna Nicole Smith’s Sudden Death is Unexplainable

Anna Nicole Smith’s death fascinates me. For one reason the public reaction to the death is as intense as the death itself. The public craves to know why and how she died. We want to blame something. A sudden death leaves people with many unanswered questions and it can affect grieving for years. The idea that a death can occur for no apparent reason is just unacceptable.

Open to Hope is an online community offering inspirational stories of loss, hope and recovery. We believe hope is the bridge between loss and recovery.