Open to Hope Articles

Do you want to read stories of others who have been where you are? Are you looking for bereavement help, and advice? Look no further. We offer over 3,000 articles written by our Open to Hope authors.

SORT BY RELATIONSHIP

On Choice and Grief by Henya Shanun-Klein, Ph.D.

September 11, 2008

Printed with permissions and courtesy of Dr. Henya Shanun-Klein, Ph.D. When Grief drags us down, leaving us breathlessly beat at the bottom of bottoms – we are confronted with a dilemma: should we stay ‘down under’? Or should we make an effort to surface, to breathe again? Staying ‘down under’ means to, eventually, die of suicide. Question: Is that what our living or dead children want or would have wanted us to do? If the answer is “no!” then there’s only one true option: Re-learn to breathe, re-learn to live, learn to find new meaning in life. As described in […]

For Mothers of Children Who Have Struggled with Mental Illness and Drug Addiction

September 9, 2008

Dearest Mothers, In the beginning, it mattered to me the hows and whys of Clint’s death. My heart and my head argued. My heart keep saying, “He can’t be gone, we still have so much love to give him.” In a strange unfair twist, this love was even greater because it was not hindered with all the stress and chaos involved with dealing with someone struggling with mental illness and drug addiction. This wasn’t fair. I became angry. I had done everything I thought was right. I had been a stay at home mom up until middle school. We were […]

Is It OK to Keep Memento of Son’s Accident?

September 9, 2008

Susan of Texas asks: My son died in a car accident, and I find comfort from holding a piece of glass from my son’s demolished car. My friend thinks this is strange. Is she right, or do other people do what I do? Dr. Bob Neimeyer responds: It sounds like your friend is not a bereaved parent. Many people find solace in maintaining contact with their loved one through cherished “linking objects,” whether these are a child’s favorite toy, a husband’s sweater, or in this case, a piece of broken glass. At the core of grief is the urge […]

Did I Make A Mistake Having an Only Child?

September 5, 2008

Question from Anne: My mother warned me not to have an only child. I guess I should have listened to her as my son died of cancer last year. Do you think she was right and that I made a mistake? How do I live with such a big mistake? Dr. Bob Baugher responds: Thank you for your question. First off, my heart goes out to you as you cope with the death of your precious son. Grief is hard and a common grief reaction is guilt. One type of guilt is called “If-only Guilt” in which we go back […]

Chris Mulligan: After Life Agreements

September 4, 2008

After the loss of her son, Zach, Chris Mulligan leaned on the belief that she had chosen to design her own life plan. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/10/Chris-Mulligan-090408.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Fran Dorf: Right To Heal

August 28, 2008

Fran Dorf is an author and conducts Right to Heal Workshops to help people cope with grief, trauma and loss. https://media.blubrry.com/open_to_hope_1/audio.opentohope.com/2010/10/Fran-Dorf-082808.mp3Podcast: Play in new window | Download