Recent Stories
Dear Dr. Neimeyer, I am a marriage and family therapist with a 55 year old female client who is the only surviving member of her family Her mother died suddenly and unexpectedly last year and she’s given up all her many interests. She is full of anxiety and fear–seems agoraphobic–having panic attacks and hot flashes […]
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, How do I stop blaming myself for my mother’s death? She was 85 and 18 hours away from heart valve replacement, doing well, ready for it. She was told to walk some before surgery, and her last walk was fatal. I think I could have stopped her from overdoing it, but I […]
Continue ReadingDear 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 […]
Continue ReadingDear 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 person has a litany of losses in such close succession […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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