Grief on Pause

Abstract

This chapter reviews the experience of grief that focuses on avoidance. Avoidance can be adaptive in certain situations, including in some cultural practices. However, at other times, avoidance can be maladaptive for the griever. When avoidance is maladaptive for the griever, both physical and emotional concerns can cause long-term difficulties for the grieving process. The purpose of this chapter is to provide the reader with an understanding of grief avoidance behavior. The chapter will describe the common patterns that are seen in grief avoidance behavior, types of experiences leading to grief avoidance behavior, the physical and emotional outcomes of grief avoidance behavior, various assessment tools for grief avoidance behavior and evidence-based treatment for prolonged grief disorders. Dr. Wolfelt created a framework of common patterns of grief avoidance that included: the postponer, the displacer, the replacer, the minimizer, and the somaticizer.