Experts Recognize the Value of Online Healing
For years, people have used the Internet as a way to work through their grief. When people hear about all the bereaved who create online memorials at Valley of Life, they seem to instinctively understand the value of grieving online, where people can express intimate thoughts and be heard by others.
Now, it seems, counselors and therapists are also acknowledging this trend. In an article on CNN.com today, several experts gave a nod to websites that help people express their grief and memorialize loved ones.
“One of the most important things in effective grieving is for people to be able to tell the story of loss over and over again, letting the reality set in,” Keren Humphrey of the American Counseling Association, said in the article. She added that the Internet is “potentially a really good resource for grieving people. It’s a tremendous source of understanding and support, a place where people can share their feelings.”
While online grief forums are no replacement for therapy when therapy is needed, they can function as support groups where people in pain often find community, understanding and nonjudgmental listening.
The more you express your grief, the more you open yourself up to healing. Here are some ways you can use the Internet to help work through your painful feelings:
- Create a free online memorial for a loved one at ValleyofLife.com and share it with family and friends, who can add their memories of the deceased.
- Say all the things you wish you could have said to your loved one in an open letter at WouldHaveSaid.com.
- Take a moment of silence and light a virtual candle for a loved one at Gratefulness.org.
And most of all, don’t be afraid to reach out. There are people out there who are listening and want to help.
Read the full article at CNN.com.
Tags: coping with grief, Grief, online grief support, virtual memorial
