SEARCHING FOR THE MEANING OF MEANING: GRIEF THERAPY AND THE PROCESS OF RECONSTRUCTION

“…This contrast between the majority of grievers who seek meaning in the death and the minority who apparently do not might re¯ ect their di erential emphasis on what Stroebe and Schut (1999) have referred to as ‘‘loss-oriented’’ and ‘‘restoration-oriented’’ processes in adjustment to bereavement.”

“It is a critical step in not only minimalizing pre- and postloss conflicts that may occur, but also in making sense of one’s reality during bereavement (Neimeyer, 2000).”

“Meaning-based therapeutic approaches [31] could strengthen the patient’s spiritual resources and help them overcome the fear of experiencing and expressing grief; psycho-education could enhance coping and equip the patient with skills to communicate with avoidant family members.”

“Reconstructing a world of significance in the wake of bereavement frequently involves an active process of self reorganization and adaptation to a new life-story (Neimeyer, 2000 ).”

“Instead, proponents of the new paradigm of grief theory have re-emphasized the role of cognitive processes in emotional adjustment and recognized meaning reconstruction (Neimeyer, 1998, 2000, 2001a, 2001b) and ‘‘relearning the world’’ (Attig, 1996, 2001) as the central mechanisms in grieving.”

“A limited number of studies have investigated issues surrounding identity in bereavement specifically (Neimeyer et al., 2006; Nerken, 1993; Pals & McAdams, 2004), and only recently has an appreciation of the importance of the self as a dimension of meaning in grief been recognized (Neimeyer, 2001a).”

“…of this intervention is stronger than previously conducted interventions in mourning (Allumbaugh & Hoyt, 1999; Boelen et al., 2007; Currier et al., 2008; Kato & Mann, 1999; Neimeyer, 2000; Wittouck et al., 2011), shown by the very high effect–size values obtained for the ICG, BDI and IES-R.”

“Neimeyer’s [9,12,66] meaning reconstruction is key, as MCGT fosters”

“We grant Larson and Hoyt’s point and acknowledge that the treatment-induced deterioration effect (TIDE) statistic used by Fortner (1999) in his dissertation had not been subjected to formal peer review prior to its citation by Neimeyer (2000) or by later authors who cited Neimeyer.”

“They also reported that participating in this type of research was educational, enriching, therapeutic, and empowering (13).”

“Adequate psychological help could aid in the process of reconstructing the meaning of the loss, which Neimeyer [45] described as ‘sense-making.’”

“As recognized in bereavement counseling, listening, reciprocal reflection, and paraphrasing are specific techniques effective with the bereaved (Hedtke & Winslade, 2004; Neimeyer, 2000; Payne, Jarrett, Wiles, & Field, 2002).”

“…that are presumed critical in “resolving” or recovering from social disruptions (Davis, Nolen-Hoeksema, & Larson, 1998; Lepore, Ragan, & Jones, 2000; Neimeyer, 2000; Park, 2010), and meaning making protects against health-relevant biological stress responses (see Bower, Kemeny, Taylor, & Fahey,…”

“Other theorists noted that persons coping with loss and trauma often are compelled to imbue the event with meaning or purpose in order to make sense of it (Davis, Wortman, Lehman, & Silver, 2000; Moos & Schaefer, 1986; Neimeyer, 2000).”

“meaning reconstruction and alternate grief narratives may be useful as we continue to explore these online spaces (Neimeyer, 2000; Walter et al., 2012).”

“[29]), including literature on the DPM and MRL Framework [30,31,33,34,46,47].”

“For example, the six authors of Configuration 1 represent a contingent of bereaved persons identified in some studies (e.g., Bregman & Thiermann, 1995; C. G. Davis, Wortman, Lehman, & Silver, 2000; Neimeyer, 2000) who have faced a tragic death without ascribing some deeper cause or purpose to it.”

“…bereaved with prolonged and complicated grief reactions should be targeted for support and not those with normal grief (Currier et al., 2008; Hoyt & Larson, 2010; Jordan & Neimeyer, 2003; Larson & Hoyt, 2009; Neimeyer, 2000; Neimeyer & Currier, 2009; Rosner, Lumbeck, & Geissner, 2011; Schut, 2010).”

“A number of meta-analyses and review studies (Forte, Hill, Pazder, & Feudtner, 2004; Kato & Mann, 1999; Litterer Allumbaugh & Hoyt, 1999; Neimeyer, 2000) describe the results of interventions Internet-Based Treatment for Complicated Grief 413”

“and identifying this group is a practice and research imperative, both because intervening inappropriately can cause harm [3, 4] and because of the need to use increasingly scarce health and social care resources effectively [5].”

“As bereaved persons, they were confronted by their need to search for meaning in the loss (Landsman, 2002; Neimeyer, 2000, 2002) and to maintain continuing bonds with the deceased spouse (Field, Gao, & Paderna, 2005; Neimeyer et al., 2006).”

“Neimeyer et al. (e.g., Neimeyer 2000; Neimeyer et al. 2001) propose that grief is related to difficulties integrating a loss into personal systems of meaning.”

“In Fanny’s case, the use of a body scan and embodied metaphor are very powerful as these tools provide vehicles for her to access her repressed grief and means to articulate the meaning and significance of the grief experience (Daniels and White 1997; Neimeyer 2000 ).”

“…of social support (e.g., Andrews, Brewin, & Rose, 2003; Bradley, Schwartz, & Kaslow, 2005; Scarpa, Haden, & Hurley, 2006) and positive appraisal of traumatic loss (Armour, 2003; Janoff-Bulman & Frantz, 1997; Neimeyer, 2000) are positively associated with well-being and the adjustment process.”

“Permanent WRAP URL: http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/96246 Copyright and reuse: The Warwick Research Archive Portal (WRAP) makes this work by researchers of the University of Warwick available open access under the following conditions. Copyright © and all moral rights to the version of the paper presented here belong to the…”

“Several models have been proposed to account for the underlying mechanisms of posttraumatic growth (Davis et al., 1998; Gillies & Neimeyer, 2006; Joseph & Linley, 2005; Neimeyer, 2000, 2001; Park & Helgeson, 2006; Schaefer & Moos, 2001; Tedeschi & Calhoun, 2004).”

“…and responses (physical, psychological, behavioural, social and spiritual) that persons have towards loss, as in theories of meaning reconstruction (Neimeyer, 1998, 2000, 2001) and adaptive grieving styles (Doka & Martin, 2010), and emphasising ways that responses to grief are influenced by…”

“Studies have indicated that bereavement interventions for persons experiencing noncomplicated grief are not effective and may actually be harmful (Jordan & Neimeyer, 2003; Neimeyer, 2000).”

“The treatment protocol for the traditional component was created by our group partly following the guidelines and strategies recommended by Neimeyer (2000) and Neimeyer et al. (2002).”

“In some cases, psychological intervention with bereaved people, when not required, may even be harmful (Jordan & Neimeyer, 2003; Murphy et al., 1998; Neimeyer, 2000).”

“Some of the increased emphasis on meaning making in bereavement comes from the theory of constructivism championed most notably by Neimeyer (1998, 2000b) .”

“Regarding the utility of grieving, the reasoning is evident in that grief can promote profound growth (Neimeyer, 2000).”

“Finally, it is also important to understand how grieving individuals make meaning of their experience, particularly through the use of stories (Neimeyer, 2000).”

“…2000), Margaret Stroebe’s revisiting of the `̀grief work hypothesis’’ (1992), Walter’s biographical model of grief (1996, 1999), the work of Robert Neimeyer (2000, 2001, 2002) on meaning reconstruction in the wake of loss, as well as Mary and Kenneth Gergen and their colleagues in…”

“…theory suggesting that grief is not a staged, time-dependent process but instead a lifelong experience that changes over time (Moules 1998; Moules & Amundson, 1997; Moules, Simonson, Fleiszer, Prins, & Glasgow, 2007; Moules, Simonson, Prins, Angus, & Bell, 2004; Neimeyer, 2000, 2001a, 2001b).”

“Despite its widespread acceptance and use, the effectiveness of traditional grief counseling interventions is suspect (e.g., Breen & O’Connor, 2007; Currier, Neimeyer, & Berman, 2008; Jordan & Neimeyer, 2003; Larson & Hoyt, 2007; Neimeyer, 2000; Schut, Stroebe, van den Bout, & Terheggen, 2001).”

“As noted by Bonanno [59], ‘ many individuals exposed to violent or life-threatening events will show a genuine resilience that should not be interfered with or undermined COVID did not lead to an increase in suicide [32 – 36].”

“…terms of advances that go beyond affect alone to include physical, psychological, behavioral, social, and spiritual dimensions, as in theories of meaning reconstruction (Neimeyer, 1998, 2000, 2001) and grieving styles (Doka & Martin, 2010), and in emphases on developmental and cultural influences.”

“Parse’s (1998) practice dimensions: illuminating meaning, synchronizing rhythms, and mobilizing transcendence direct professionals as do the views of Neimeyer (2000, 2001) on reconstructing meaning.”

“For example, a review of bereavement interventions, published between 1975 and 1998, demonstrated a very small effect size overall and concluded that approximately 38% of participants would have had a better outcome had they been assigned to the control group rather than receiving the intervention (Neimeyer, 2000).”

“Meaning making is fast emerging as a core construct in addressing trauma and violent loss (Neimeyer, 2001).”

“This CBI item captures positive meaning emerging from the loss and this speaks to meaning reconstruction (Neimeyer, 2000) in that the Non-Complicated Grievers adapted more successfully to the loss by recognizing some benefits from their experience.”

“According to Neimeyer (2000), for those who seek meaning under these circumstances, and find none, the loss can be excruciating and the suffering intense; it contributed to Jason taking his own life and to Alison contemplating taking her own life.”

“Social support is also vital in the construction of meaning assigned to the loss, since meaning is understood within a social context (Neimeyer, 2000).”

“…used by eulogizers, highlighting useable memories and giving thanks for lessons learned from the deceased in ways that (a) provide a generally positive reappraisal of events, and (b) serve to transform and help reconstruct the meaning of death itself (Neimeyer, 1998, 2000, 2001a, 2001b, 2002).”

“The opportunity to express thoughts and feelings about a loss to others may contribute considerably to the healing of the biographical disruption caused by the event (Neimeyer, 2000; Riches & Dawson, 1996).”

“Noting that Kato and Mann excluded a number of studies in their review, Neimeyer (2000) conducted a meta-analysis of 23 randomized controlled studies offering individual, family, or group interventions to individuals who were mourning the death of a loved one.”

“We examined therapeutic change processes through the lens of meaning reconstruction theory and meaning making (Neimeyer, 2001a, 2001b, 2001c) in participants in CGGT for suicide survivors.”

“For example, Neimeyer (2000) denounced suspiciously simplistic models, such as stage theories of grieving that have been largely repudiated by contemporary theorists and researchers (p. 547), while Friedman and James (2008) referred to The myth of the stages of dying, death and grief.”

“To facilitate healing and recovery, meaning reconstruction is deemed the central task of grief (Neimeyer, 2000b).”

“Such opportunities can mitigate helplessness and hopelessness that often accompany sudden or traumatic losses (Neimeyer, 2000).”

“Understanding this way of coping is based on the constructivist theory offered by Neimeyer (2000), and Neimeyer, Keesee, and Frotner (2000).”

“Second, though there is considerable research and professional interest in meaning making in bereavement (Neimeyer, 2000), the meanings examined are typically individual and personal, or at most familial (Nadeau, 1998).”

“In fact, there is some evidence that working through one’s grief by actively expressing one’s loss-related emotions is harmful for many individuals (e.g., Bonanno, 2006; Mancini & Bonanno, 2009; Neimeyer, 2000; Neimeyer & Currier, 2009).”

“…models (Calhoun & Tedeschi, 1989–1990, 2001, 2006; Calhoun, Tedeschi, Cann, & Hanks, 2010; Gamino & Sewell, 2004; Gamino, Sewell, & Easterling, 2000; Neimeyer, 1995, 1998, 2000, 2006a; Overcash, Calhoun, Cann, & Tedeschi, 1996; Schwartzberg & Janoff-Bulman, 1991) and the dual process model of…”

“For many, creating a story about their experience of loss is a way to acknowledge pain, speak freely about grief, and make meaning of their experience (Gillies & Neimeyer, 2006; Lichtenthal, Neimeyer, Currier, Roberts, & Jordan, 2013; Lichtenthal et al., 2015; Nadeau, 2001; Neimeyer, 2000; Neimeyer, Baldwin, & Gillies…”

“Arguably, attempting to make sense of the death of a child is a major challenge for any bereaved parents (Neimeyer, 2000), yet many of the mothers in this study were able to construct a narrative that explained the death to others and to themselves.”

“Contemporary holistic theorists call for a move to ‘‘normalize’’ grief and for more community education to improve the social support systems that people already have (N. P. Field & Friedrichs, 2004; Klass, Silverman, & Nickman, 1996; Neimeyer, 2001, 2005; M. Stroebe & Schut, 1999).”

“Parkes (1988,1997) has described bereavement as a psychosocial transition characterized by the bereft experiencing invalidation of their `̀assumptive world,’’ which is defined as `̀everything that we assume to be true on the basis of our previous experience’’ (1988, p. 56). In light of the loved one’s death, the berea…”

“Fostering reconstruction of a world of meaning would seem of major therapeutic importance [47], particularly given the evidence of the beneficial effects of achieving meaning-made for the reports of grief intensity and marital satisfaction [8, 22].”

“While meaning-makingmay be helpful in many cases, genetic counselors should be cautious about focusing on it too much in individuals with acute grief (e.g. perinatal loss, sudden death) since it employs a more philosophically-inclined approach (Neimeyer 2000).”

“…for meaning was generally associated with negative psychological outcomes, including grief, loss, anxiety, and depressive symptoms because the searching process can sometimes be frustrating and distressing to the meaning seeker (Lewis, 1995; Neimeyer, 2000; Steger et al., 2006; Yek et al., 2017).”

“…Paloutzian and Park, such meanings are understood in terms of the sometimes explicit but often implicit ways that we as human beings seek “replicative themes” in events (Kelly, 1955), discerning and imposing regularity and significance on the unfolding patterns of our daily lives (Neimeyer, 2000).”

“First, there are ongoing controversies among scientists – most noticeably in the current context, between Larson and Hoyt ( 2007 ); Hoyt & Larson, 2010 ) and Neimeyer ( 2000 ); Currier, Neimeyer & Berman, 2008), who come to different conclusions about certain aspects concerning the efficacy of bereavement intervention…”

“The provision of therapy to all bereaved individuals is not indicated (Currier, Neimeyer, & Berman, 2008; Neimeyer, 2000); however, the transdiagnostic nature of ACT suggests acceptance and valued-living as potentially important targets to facilitate a natural grieving process, whether subclinical…”

“An additional explanation for understanding this process within the couple is based on the constructivist theory offered by Neimeyer (2000) and Neimeyer, Keesee, and Frotner (2000).”

“2021 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC Indeed, loss resignification, constructed comparing past and present situations, transforms the suffering into a chance for personal growth, reducing debilitating grief symptoms (Neimeyer, 2000, 2016).”

“If it is possible to find some positive meaning in an otherwise horrific sense of loss, it will serve the mourner well (Davis, Wortman, Lehman, & Silver, 2000; Neimeyer, 2000).”

“Traditional approaches to grief work emphasized ‘‘letting go’’ of one’s attachments to a person who died, ‘‘moving on’’ with life, gradually ‘‘recovering’’ from the emotional impact of loss, and returning to a ‘‘normal’’ state of functioning (Freud, 1917=1961; Neimeyer, 2000a; Parkes, 2001).”

“Future studies should clarify whether psychological adaptation is predicted by whether or not any meaning was found (Neimeyer, 2000) or by the positive aspects of meaning only (Gamino, 2004).”

“As Neimeyer (1998, 2000) and Worden (2002) suggested, meaning reconstruction is the most central goal of the grieving process.”

“The majority of BSLs indicated that their checklist was based on the theoretical models of Parkes (1993) (n 1⁄4 6), Stroebe and Schut (1999) (n 1⁄4 1), Klass et al.”