Getting Through Grief, Hope and Healing After Loss

At one point or another, we will all lose someone close to us. Gender, how we were raised, value systems, and life experiences all have an impact on how we grieve and how we heal. Men and women grieve differently and are helped by different means. With us today to discuss some new findings about the stages of grief, how men and women grieve, is Natasha Josefowitz, Ph.D., author of Living Without the One You Cannot Live Without. She has hosted her own television segment, appeared regularly on NPR, wrote her own nationally syndicated column, and appeared on Larry King Show, Sally Jesse Raphael, and Dr. Ruth, to name a few.

Did you know: Men Pick Up the Pieces Faster: Men tend not only to go out more and quicker after the death of their wives, but also had friends who took them out for meals and various sporting events. Women preferred to stay put and had friends who visited them at home, often bringing food. Men Don’t Share or Benefit as Much from Sharing: Men tended to not want to go to grief workshops, and when they did go, they said that hearing about others’ pain was not helpful, it just reminded them more sharply of their own. No woman had that reaction; instead, what they said was that it helped by hearing from others that they were not alone with their feelings. Signs of Depression: Depression in women shows itself in sleep problems, crying, feelings of hopelessness, lethargy, feeling too tired to do anything or go anywhere. Even just getting out of bed seems difficult. Men, on the other hand, may exhibit risk-taking and self-destructive behavior, substance abuse, anger, or irritability. Suicide Rates: The suicide rate of men is higher after the death of their wives—six-times the national average but the rate of recovery is faster for those men who remain to struggle through.