Bereavement: Meeting Place of Medicine and Religion
John Graham, M.D., D.Min., President/CEO, Institute for Spirituality and Health at the Texas Medical Center, Houston, TX
Medicine and Religion have a strange and powerful meeting place in bereavement where doctor, patient, family and friends grieve the death of a patient and of a loved one. This paper will look at the experience of grief from the viewpoint of the physician, priest, and family, as well as the shared experience of a support group that gathers weekly to express the sorrow and pain of death of someone that is respected, loved and valued. The paper will present an overview of the literature on bereavement, describe the normal human process of grieving, and share the power that a support group can bring to those experiencing bereavement. Statements from those who have attended a bereavement support group will be shared.
Medicine and Religion have a strange and powerful meeting place in bereavement where doctor, patient, family and friends grieve the death of a patient and of a loved one. This paper will look at the experience of grief from the viewpoint of the physician, priest, and family, as well as the shared experience of a support group that gathers weekly to express the sorrow and pain of death of someone that is respected, loved and valued. The paper will present an overview of the literature on bereavement, describe the normal human process of grieving, and share the power that a support group can bring to those experiencing bereavement. Statements from those who have attended a bereavement support group will be shared.