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01-06-2010

Grief Therapy and the Reconstruction of Meaning: From Principles to Practice

Authors: Robert A. Neimeyer, Laurie A. Burke, Michael M. Mackay, Jessica G. van Dyke Stringer

Published in: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy | Issue 2/2010

Abstract

Viewed from a constructivist perspective, grieving is a process of reconstructing a world of meaning that has been challenged by loss. Although most people successfully navigate bereavement and retain or return to pre-loss levels of functioning, a significant proportion struggle with protracted grief, and are unable to find meaning in the wake of an unsought transition. For these individuals, constructivist therapists have a number of strategies at their disposal that foster meaning making and help clients reestablish a coherent self-narrative that integrates the loss, while also permitting their life story to move forward along new lines. After reviewing theory and evidence that scaffolds this constructivist conceptualization, this article draws on excerpts of therapy with two bereaved clients to illustrate how narrative retelling, therapeutic writing, a focus on metaphorical language, and the use of visualization can all be viable strategies in helping individuals reconstruct meaning in the wake of bereavement.

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Title: Grief Therapy and the Reconstruction of Meaning: From Principles to Practice
Authors: Robert A. Neimeyer
Laurie A. Burke
Michael M. Mackay
Jessica G. van Dyke Stringer
Publication date: 01-06-2010
Publisher: Springer US
Published in: Journal of Contemporary Psychotherapy / Issue 2/2010
Print ISSN: 0022-0116
Electronic ISSN: 1573-3564
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10879-009-9135-3

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Springer Medicine

Grief Therapy and the Reconstruction of Meaning: From Principles to Practice

Abstract

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Springer Medicine

Abstract

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