Traumatic Grief Talking Points

A sudden death is shocking. When we are shocked we can have many reactions that can affect us physically, emotionally, socially and spiritually. We can even have many different reactions all during the course of the day. These reactions can feel intense and overwhelming and you may have nothing to compare them to so it can feel scary. I want to give you some information about these reactions that can help you cope while you are going through this difficult time. Some of you may be experiencing:

 Difficulty in believing what happened-it can seem unreal or like you are in a dream or you can even feel numb  Difficulty thinking straight, remembering things, concentrating  Changes in appetite – not feeling like eating or eating too much  Difficulty sleeping – difficulty falling asleep, only sleeping a few hours, fears of being alone at night, bad dreams and nightmares  Feelings of helplessness, guilt, anger, agitation, anxiety  Crying a lot or feeling like you can’t cry at all  Feeling like you don’t want to be alone at all or feeling like you just want to be left alone all the time  Diminished interest in things you usually like to do  Headaches and stomach aches, body aches

I want you to know that all of these reactions while they can feel intense and overwhelming are normal after experiencing the sudden death of someone we cared about. It is really important that during this time of grief that you not go into a dark place and try to deal with this alone  It is important to not try to numb out by using drugs or alcohol  It is important to remember that there are friends and caring adults that understand and can help you cope  I would like you to take a moment and think of the things you have been doing in the past few days to help yourself cope  I would like to ask you to take a moment to think of who has been helping you during this difficult time  I would like you to take a moment to think of who you have helped during this difficult time  Lastly, I would like you to think of who else and what else can help during this time ______funeral will be announced and between now and then and even afterward, we will be offering groups for teens to help them cope with the sadness of losing ______and preparing to go on without her.

The dates and times and place of these groups will be posted at______We have some handouts on tables in ______that will give you some information that can help you.

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow said “There is no grief like that grief that does not speak” Come to these groups - Speak your grief, support others and let others support you.