Therapy Thoughts: How To Normalize Talking About Grief & Loss

Dr. Brenda Lloyd Jones from the University of Oklahoma joined News On 6 to talk about your questions about therapy, communication, and mental health.

This week's discussion was prompted by a question from viewer Kay, who experiences monthly grief from losing people she knows and feels the need to talk about it.

"I experience grief each month from losing someone I know and feel the need to talk about it. Will we ever normalize conversations about death?"

Defining Grief

Dr. Brenda Lloyd-Jones began by explaining the nature of grief.

"Grief is the emotional response to loss, and it can include pain, sadness and certainly disappointment."

She emphasized the need to include discussions about death in our everyday conversations, as it is a natural part of the life cycle.

"One way to normalize talking about death is about including it in our conversations if we understand, and we know from studies that death is a part of the life cycle," said Dr. Lloyd-Jones.

Celebrating the End of Life

Dr. Lloyd-Jones suggests that just as we celebrate the birth of a child, we should also celebrate the end of life. She noted that more people are creating programs for their end-of-life celebrations, specifying their preferences for music, colors, and other details.

"We are finding is that people are celebrating their end of life, and they are actually putting together programs. I want this sung at my end-of-life celebration. I want these kinds of balloons, these colors, and I think that's healthy and certainly necessary," she explained.

Embracing Emotions

Stacia added that these celebrations encourage people to focus on the life lived rather than being sad about the death. Dr. Lloyd-Jones agreed, emphasizing the importance of openly expressing emotions, whether it's weeping from missing someone or laughing at their memories.

"It's okay to express emotions openly, such as weeping because of missing someone or laughing at their memories," said Dr. Lloyd-Jones. "Acknowledging both the pain and the joy associated with loss helps normalize the process of life and death."

Conclusion

The discussion highlighted the need to normalize conversations about grief and loss, and to celebrate the lives of loved ones who have passed away. By incorporating these discussions into our daily lives and embracing the full range of emotions, we can better navigate the natural cycle of life and death.