The tragedy of loss is that we are bio-engineered for attachment in a world of impermanence, where most of what we have ultimately will be lost. We need some way to integrate the reality of our loss. Are we expected to get over it, move on, acceptance and closure? The fundamental human experience of suffering is not conveniently divided into boxes or stages. It intersects at cognitive and emotive landscapes at biological, neurological and relational levels. Grief is a situated, communicated and interpretative activity that has a kind of self-perpetuating, sometimes purposeful motion that seeks change and relief. This essay will examine a specific intangible psychological loss that I occurred roughly three years ago within the framework of two relevant models of grief counselling.
In Peter Pan, the boy who would not grow up (Barrie, 2015), ...