MORE THAN TIME ALONE

     Time is a very important aspect of grief work.  The recovery back to creative, healthy living is only through the painful process of grief itself.  There are no shortcuts.
     Because of the multitude of factors that affect the way an individual will react to grief, there can be no cookbook approach to helping the bereaved nor can there be a set timetable for the grief process.
     It is a mistake, however, to think that time alone will necessarily heal the pain of grief.  It is how time is used that will be a factor in determining how long the pain remains acute, whether it is even fully experienced, and how long it it will take for recovery.  Grief is an active, not a passive process.  The course of normal grief depends on the ability of the bereaved to do the grief work necessary to separate themselves from that which was lost and reinvest themselves elsewhere.