Recent Stories
Editor’s note: we are reprinting this post in honor of all who have served their country, veterans and currently serving. Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My partner committed suicide in front of me last February. He asked me to hold his hand. I always promised I’d be there for him, regardless. But this was something I couldn’t …
A Veteran and a partner’s suicide Read More »
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, My 26 year old son died 7 years ago after a prolonged battle with a malignant brain tumor. I was his caretaker. He was my first child and my only son. Our relationship was magnificent. I can’t get a grip on the good memories. I am constantly thrown into a grand mal seizure or …
My son died of cancer…holding on to good memories Read More »
Continue ReadingEditor’s note: we thought this relevant to the time we are living in when many are struggling with the prospect of a loved one dying. Dear Dr. Neimeyer, Five years ago my younger brother, Eric, was diagnosed with cancer, though he was only 15 at the time. Our life as a family seemed to change …
Ambiguous Losses: a brother’s cancer diagnosis Read More »
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer I have read and appreciate your work about meaning reconstruction in loss. I have a friend whose grief is so complicated and consuming that she can’t find life for herself (her husband died from cancer about six years ago) and she can’t seem to move forward at all. Here is an excerpt …
Complicated and consuming grief of a friend Read More »
Continue ReadingEditor’s note: we thought this was relevant in a time of pandemic when many who are grieving are cut off from normal social interaction and rituals of grief. Dear Dr. Neimeyer, As a director of a bereavement center myself, I am very concerned about a friend. Her mother died about 4 years ago. Her father …
Now cut off from the world…Complicated Grief Read More »
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, I have been working intermittently for many years with a woman named Pam who was divorced when her adult children were adolescents, as a result of the father’s unpredictable and violent behavior and alcoholism. Likewise, two of her four children have had long histories of drug and alcohol use, despite her funding …
Complicated Grief: A therapist asks about the loss of a daughter Read More »
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, I am sure that I am not alone in saying that the COVID-19 crisis has rocked my world, and I really don’t know which way to turn. Of course, like everyone else I am following the advice of medical authorities regarding hand washing, social distancing, curtailing unnecessary travel, and the rest. But …
On the Pandemic: Ask Dr. Neimeyer 4.12.21 Read More »
Continue ReadingDear Dr. Neimeyer, My husband passed away nearly a dozen years ago and I have been receiving his Social Security Benefits since that time. On my birthday next Spring I will be taking my own Social Security. My question is: Why do I feel so apprehensive about taking mine and giving up my husband’s? This is the …
I am losing the final piece of him Read More »
Continue ReadingGrieving for a Husband/Father During the Holidays Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My husband Don died 9 months ago after a rapid decline; and his lungs basically stopped working, even with oxygen treatments. His death has been hard for us as a family in many ways, as he lived only about 6 months after getting the diagnosis, and …
Grieving for a Husband/Father During Holiday Season Read More »
Continue ReadingEditor’s Note: many approaching the holidays of Easter and Passover with a loss recently behind them, and their grief overlaid with the despair of these times of pandemic. We thought this Dr. Neimeyer column might be helpful–LL Dear Dr. Neimeyer– My husband died just over a year ago, so now begins my second year without …
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