felt when others fail or disregard your need for support. Regardless of the circumstances, you are a bereaved loved one who deserves support and understanding. Feelings of isolation can lead to an increase in emotional pain that can be so intense that it is almost intolerable. People who have experi- enced the traumatic death of a loved one may have problems concentrating or become easily distracted. You may start an activity and forget what you were about to do, only to begin again. Even though you feel isolated, or that you feel like isolating yourself from others, surrounding yourself with a network of supportive people can help you when you are feeling distracted or unable to concentrate on important tasks.
Denial Denial can be a won- derful thing. It is the mind’s way of buffer- ing the full impact of a trauma until it can be absorbed. Upon learning that a loved one has been killed, most people are too weak to undertake the overwhelming task of grieving. When you
heard of your loved one’s death, you may have gone into shock. Regardless of the initial impact, if you are like most people, you soon found your- self in a state of numbness. Looking back now, you may wonder how you remained calm. You may have completed some tasks that now seem impossible. You probably have a hard time remembering exactly what
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