Recent Stories

I was not permitted to grieve for my Dad

By Dr. Robert Neimeyer | October 21, 2019 | 0 Comments

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, I was not permitted to grieve for my Dad when he passed over five years ago because of his wife.  I asked her if I could pick the casket out with her and be involved in the planning of his funeral.  She said no and went ahead with it.  Dad and I […]

Continue Reading

Healing Transitions for Parents

By Dr. Robert Neimeyer | October 14, 2019 | 1 Comment

Dear 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 Reading

My teenage son was electrocuted…

By Dr. Robert Neimeyer | October 7, 2019 | 1 Comment

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My teenage son was electrocuted at home accidentally almost 20 years ago.  My counselor is not happy with my saying he was killed.  I know the difference because about three decades ago, another toddler son  died from a cerebral aneurysm , so in my eyes one died and one was killed and to me […]

Continue Reading

My Daughter Took Her Own Life

By Dr. Robert Neimeyer | September 30, 2019 | 2 Comments

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, My only child, my 16 year old daughter, took her own life just one month ago.  She showed no signs at all.  Straight A student, worked as cashier part time, saving money for college.  She just finished her College Boards and got an amazing score.  I know this wasn’t planned–she had placed orders […]

Continue Reading

Suicide of a Son: A Mother’s Question

By Dr. Robert Neimeyer | September 23, 2019 | 0 Comments

Editor: Last week was National Suicide Prevention Week, hence this post: Dear Dr. Neimeyer, I lost my son to suicide, and I am struggling with the urge to join him. I try to stay here for my beautiful granddaughter that he left for me to enjoy. There are days that it is almost like living […]

Continue Reading

A woman who lost her adult son to sudden death

By Dr. Robert Neimeyer | September 16, 2019 | 1 Comment

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, I am currently working with a woman who lost her adult son to sudden death when he was residing in a foreign country 5 years ago. Since then she has been absorbed in a deep and isolating grief, though she has two other adult children and a husband who remain quite concerned […]

Continue Reading

What is the Meaning of Life? 9.9.19

By Dr. Robert Neimeyer | September 9, 2019 | 0 Comments

What is the Meaning of Life? is re-published in remembrance of 9/11 Dear Dr. Neimeyer, I have just one question, but it is a big one. In your opinion, what is the meaning of life?–Nicolae   Dear Nicolae, I’m a practicing psychologist who works alongside people who are struggling with deeply unwelcome changes in their […]

Continue Reading

An Oncology Unit Nurse Asks…

By Dr. Robert Neimeyer | September 3, 2019 | 1 Comment

“An Oncology Unit Nurse Asks…” is a repeat of an earlier Dr. Neimeyer column in honor of Labor Day. When we think of “Labor Day” we often overlook those in the healthcare industry. Here’s why we shouldn’t: “In 2000, there were 7 million more workers in manufacturing than in health care. At the beginning of […]

Continue Reading

PTSD and Grief: An Ask Dr. Neimeyer Guest Column

By Dr. Robert Neimeyer | August 26, 2019 | 2 Comments

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, I was heartbroken and overwhelmed reading the question to you from the woman with PTSD who was in the horrifying and traumatic accident that killed her two little girls and injured her husband and daughter.  I want to let you know of a treatment for PTSD performed by Dr. Lipov in Chicago called the Stellate […]

Continue Reading

Lost my husband to lung cancer

By Dr. Robert Neimeyer | August 19, 2019 | 0 Comments

Dear Dr. Neimeyer, I recently lost my husband to lung cancer. The chemotherapy was not working and they were debating whether another form of treatment would work. He then got an infection and was admitted to hospital. He never left the hospital as he got sepsis.  I feel responsible as I was his caregiver 24/7 […]

Continue Reading
Scroll to Top