Recent Stories
Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My 18-year old son lost his sister (age 10) two years ago, as a result of cancer. He had a very close relationship with her and was and still is devastated as he grieves for his sister. He has so much anger around her death but he won’t ever talk to me about his grief. He …
A Son Grieves for his Sister Read More »
Continue ReadingEditor’s Note–We thought this was highly relevant during the pandemic. Dear Dr. Neimeyer, Why is it so hard? I lost my sister in the Spring, then my husband a month later, then my son two months later. It’s been a losing battle I just don’t know how to handle this. Phyllis Dear Phyllis– When a …
Coping with multiple losses Read More »
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, I lost my husband one year ago. My biggest problem is our children live so far away and only visit once a year. I feel so isolated because they are so busy with their lives and I am not included. One daughter will call weekly and the other daughter very rarely calls …
“I Lost My Husband…” Read More »
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, As a counselor with a good deal of experience in working with grief, I have been hired to present at a senior retirement community in my city. The audience will be potential patrons who are looking to move their widowed parents from their homes into a facility. The topic of the presentation …
Healing Transitions for Parents Read More »
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, Is the best and probably only way to get through complicated grief through the use of anti-depressants? Thanks. Demi Dear Demi, Both clinical experience and clinical research suggest that antidepressant medication is a mixed blessing in the context of bereavement, for several reasons. In fact, for many years psychiatrists agreed that …
Getting through grief without anti-depressants? Read More »
Continue ReadingEditor’s Note: we thought this repost would be especially helpful for those who struggle to get through Valentine’s Day Dear Dr. Neimeyer– My husband died just over a year ago, so now begins my second year without him, and I am not looking forward to it. It’s not that I am immobilized by grief, as …
Holiday Grieving and Valentine’s Day Ask Dr. Neimeyer Read More »
Continue ReadingMourning a Former Spouse: Disenfranchised Grief: Reader Comments Editor’s Note: This is a rarely discussed topic, but in a country where 40-50% of couples file for divorce, it is an inevitability. Since Dr. Neimeyer addressed this in a post several years ago, we have received many comments. Here is a link to the original article: …
Mourning a Former Spouse: Disenfranchised Grief: Reader Comments Read More »
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, My teenage daughter Daniella died in a car accident almost two years ago, and even though I have been able to go on raising my other two children and working in my office job, I continue to feel a great deal of grief and also some irrational guilt about her death, because …
Death of a Teenage Daughter Read More »
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, Firstly, thank you for providing your expertise online. It has helped me since losing one of my twin sons in his late 20s in a motorcycle accident not long ago. This time has been filled with not only grief for the loss of my very close son, but also worry for his twin brother who witnessed …
Fearing the loss of a child Read More »
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, Why do I feel guilty when I laugh or have fun, knowing my daughter isn’t here, and I shouldn’t be having fun? Dolores Dear Dolores– There is an unwritten code in our culture–one that is an explicit prescription in many world cultures–that presumes that we honor the dead when we wear our …
Why do I feel guilty? Read More »
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