Stage of Bereavement in a Loss of a Family Member

Death of a family member is a dreadful event that nobody would want to experience. Sickness or an accident may cause it. Some diseases can suddenly cause the demise of a person. It may be in any deficiency and weakness of a body organ. Another cause of death is accidents. It may be on the road or caused by another person. This is also difficult to accept since the family will most likely reach out to the authorities for justice. The best way to handle an unjust death is by taking the case into court.

In Long Beach, there are experienced wrongful death lawyers. They can represent the family left behind to obtain the justice they deserve. With this situation, everyone will be affected mentally and emotionally. The concerned individuals, mainly the closest relatives, may go through the stage of grief and acceptance.

What will happen eventually in the process of grieving?

Here are some examples of what may occur after the death of a family member:

1. Denial

Family members may feel in denial of their loss. They may result in feeling that they haven’t lost somebody important yet. It is usually a coping mechanism to avoid comprehending the situation they are in. It is a stage of grief that happens initially. But in time, this may turn into acceptance of the death of a family.

2. Anger 

This stage may occur because of underlying feelings of frustration from the demise. They may feel angry at themselves for not doing more and not being able to protect that person. One may also blame others like the doctor or the suspect in the accident. It will all boil down to thinking of taking revenge or looking for justice. Anger is complicated to overcome since it always looks for someone to put the guilt onto.

3. Bargaining

sad adult

The next after the anger is bargaining. Bargaining is thinking of the blame on yourself but also asking God and other people ways to revert the situation, which is impossible. Negotiation happens here. One may ask God to take something in exchange for the life of a loved one. 

4. Depression

The fourth stage is getting into a deep depression. It is the part when the family members feel that life has no purpose. Thus, they are looking for other ways to cope with what happened. They may start to feel alone and choose not to talk to anyone.

5. Acceptance

This stage is the final phase in accepting the death of somebody in the family. It is the recognition of a grave event that happened but eventually planning ways on how to overcome them. They may not forget the death, but life will always go on. Looking out for oneself is essential in this stage.

These stages are all that happens in the stages of acceptance by Kübler-Ross. It may not be in this specific pattern, but these may undoubtedly be felt by grieving loved ones. Be considerate of the situation of these people. In time, that person may learn how to overcome this phase as well. 

Contact Us

Scroll to Top