Grief, Self-Awareness, and Psychotherapy following Brain Injury

Abstract

Brain injuries result in complex losses for an individual. Impairments of self-awareness are common following brain injury. The losses associated with brain injuries are often difficult for a person to comprehend because of impaired self-awareness. It is likely that there is a dynamic relationship between self-awareness and the grief that follow brain injury. Grief and impaired self-awareness, unless resolved, are likely to hamper rehabilitation efforts. Psychotherapeutic approaches specifically addressing grief and loss following brain injury are discussed. Ideally, attempts to address grief following brain injury should take account of the problem of impaired self-awareness. This article aims to bring together the concepts of both self-awareness and grief following brain injury and the role psychotherapy may have in assisting people adjusting to loss and grief following brain injury.