Continuing Bonds Through the Holidays

When we have experienced loss, we often get the message from the outside world that we should move on, let it go, to accept this loss and get back to living. Instead we want to give grievers permission to find ways to feel connected to a person after a death, or any type of loss.

The Holidays can be a particularly hard time for feelings of grief- it butts up against a time when we are supposed to be our most joyful and our most celebratory. We invite you to think of the holidays as a time to stay connected to the people or things no longer in our lives. These might be through visiting shared places, making or eating the foods they once enjoyed, or playing songs you used to love together. Maintaing these connections is not just normal or allowed, but necessary.

This Theory was developed by researchers named Klass, Silverton and Nickman, and is called "Continuing Bonds." Continuing bonds can be rituals, photos, objects, activities or values and dreams. It could be sharing stories with those who do or don't know your person or visiting places which were meaningful to them or to you. . . This could also mean developing a new ritual or tradition that is all your own. we hope you are able to find or create a meaningful way to honor your bond and feel all of your feelings associated with grief this season.