The Royal Spanish Academy (RAE) defines grief as the demonstrations people show for the death of their loved ones. But beyond that, as J. Montoya Carrasquilla (1998) stated, grief constitutes a biological, psychological, social, family, and spiritual pain, since loss implies pain throughout one’s entire life (past, present, and future).
Likewise, grief should be understood as a social process, where it is vital for human beings to feel supported and be able to verbalize and share the experience in order to facilitate its resolution.
Several studies show that an adequate processing of grief is fundamental for the good physical and mental health of individuals (MarDn, 2002). However, the current crisis situation is causing certain difficulties in this process, such as sudden death or the impossibility of performing funeral rites with close relatives.
Grief intervention in times of crisis
That is why psychologist Ana Villarrubia affirms that it is essential to carry out specific interventions adapted to this current situation. For this, she proposes a psychological intervention that includes the following aspects:
Allowing emotional release
In situations like this, it is important for the psychologist to gather information about the data presented by the grieving person through various open and closed questions that allow:
- Exploring how the loss occurred (at home, in the hospital, in a care facility, etc.), identifying how contact with the deceased person has been in recent days (if they were able to see each other at any time, if they spoke, etc.).
- Identifying the person’s level of distress, evaluating the alteration this situation is having on their daily performance (eating, hygiene, sleep, etc.).
- Specifying where the greatest level of distress is focused, in relation to the loss (not having been able to accompany them in recent days, feeling that they had unresolved issues with this person…) to place more emphasis on this aspect during the intervention.
- Exploring whether they have contacted other care resources and if they are taking any type of medication.
- Identifying possible social support networks or protective factors that help process the loss.
Using psychoeducation
The psychoeducational approach can be used in these cases as a strategy to explain the grief process and validate the emotions that may appear during it. For this, the patient should be explained the following:
- Grief constitutes a normal adaptation process that everyone goes through when losing a loved one.
- It is a personal process, meaning there is no single way to experience it, but rather each person does it in their own way.
- It not only requires time, but also requires the participation of the grieving person, as there are things they can do throughout the grief process to overcome it in a better way.
Promoting behaviors that favor the grief process
The person should be helped to carry out the following behaviors, which will help them overcome the grief process:
- Facilitating emotional expression and release by seeking social support (friends and family), in these cases, remotely (calls, video calls, messages…)
- Encouraging the person to express their emotions and thoughts through the previously mentioned remote means.
- Emphasizing the importance of self-care during these days (hygiene, nutrition, schedules, rest…)
Performing farewell rituals
Due to the current situation, in many cases, it is impossible to carry out certain farewell rituals such as attending the funeral or saying goodbye to the deceased with the whole family. However, studies show that farewell rituals are protective factors in the processing of grief. That is why, in these circumstances, it is recommended to promote farewell rituals by creating spaces for remembrance that can be visited when needed, as long as this does not increase the grieving person’s distress.
Some examples of farewell rituals would be:
- Creating a memory corner at home
- Gathering photos and creating a memory album
- Retrieving videos
- Creating a memory box of the deceased
It should be noted that these rituals do not need to be performed immediately after the loss, but can be postponed until the person is feeling better, as the value will remain the same.
In any case, it is important to mention that the grief process is something completely normal and that the current situation does not play in its favor, so, in some cases, symptoms may be aggravated. Thus, if the grieving person feels that they cannot tolerate them, it will be advisable for them to resort to a psychological support service to help them overcome it.