Ambiguous Loss

Frozen sadness - what we have when we cannot really know what we have lost. This is what Pauline Boss illuminates, explores, and helps to ease. The loss could be a loved one still alive yet lost physically: a soldier son missing in action, or a constantly travelling spouse.

Auteur

Pauline Boss

Texte du rabat

In this original and humane account of the ravages of uncertainty faced by those who lose a loved one, the author draws on her research and clinical experience to suggest strategies that can cushion the pain, and offers heartening narratives of those who cope with ambiguous losses and manage to move on.

Résumé
What happens when there is mourning with no closure, when a family member or a friend who may be still alive is lost to us nonetheless? How, for example, does the mother whose soldier son is missing in action, or the family of an Alzheimer's patient who is suffering from severe dementia, deal with the uncertainty surrounding this kind of loss?

Contenu

1. Frozen Grief 2. Leaving without Goodbye 3. Goodbye without Leaving 4. Mixed Emotions 5. Ups and Downs 6. The Family Gamble 7. The Turning Point 8. Making Sense out of Ambiguity 9. The Benefit of a Doubt Notes Acknowledgments