Acceptance is a complicated process. Acceptance is a final stage of the grieving process defined by Elisabeth Kubler Ross. We come and go throughout acceptance during the entire process of grieving. If our grieving goes undealt with, we may never reach acceptance, which means our grief never gets resolved. As a result…
…We never let go of blaming ourselves
It’s like getting lost in a madness. Death is inexplicable. We have no sure proof of what happens after this life or why we pass away when we do. Loss can be sudden or it can be expected, but it still never makes absolute sense. Trying to reason with the unreasonable, rationalize with the irrational, and make sense out of what doesn’t make any sense, we can drive ourselves mad trying to reverse in our minds what cannot be reversed. No matter how we try to situate it in our brains, we cannot bring back our loved ones who have been lost, or make something come back which isn’t meant to be with us. Through the journey of our madness when we can’t find anything or anyone else to blame, we start to blame ourselves for a number of circumstances which were and still are out of our control. The guilt and the shame is too much to bear, yet we will burden ourselves with it.
…We can make ourselves sick physically
Emotions are energy which have to move through our body. When we hold onto emotions, we hold onto toxic energy. Emotions are meant to flow, not stand still. Eventually we create a backup which cannot break loose. Overtime, this emotional stress causes physical stress which can cause us to become ill. It isn’t uncommon in grief to experience losing your appetite, experience exhaustion, and may other feelings of sickness which can contribute to sickness later down the line.
…We can make ourselves sick mentally
Depression is one of the five stages of grief defined by Elisabeth Kubler Ross. Though we experience depression in grief phasically, we should see a reduction in depression once our grief is resolved. Unresolved grief can lead to unresolved depression which can turn into acute or even major depression over time.
Cottonwood Tucson offers an integrative approach to the treatment of co-occurring disorders. Our residential programs have gained international recognition for excellence and success in treatment. Grief and loss can be life consuming. If you are in need of help moving through a stage of grief or have turned to substance abuse to cope, call us today for information on how our programs can help you move on: (888) 727-0441