Grief

Deep sadness, intense longing for the one you have lost, confusion, emptiness, anxiety, anger, sleeplessness, and poor concentration all are common symptoms of grief.  Rebecca's story illustrates the varied and complex feelings and meanings which may be involved in grief.

Grief is a complicated and often confusing set of emotions frequently misunderstood and disallowed in our culture.  We expect people who are grief-stricken to keep it to themselves and "get over it."  We don't want to hear or see that they are still sad or angry or anxious, six months or a year or two years after the death of a loved one.

Grief comes and goes in waves.  At first the waves are very close together and intense.  As you work through the process of your grief, the waves become less intense and get further apart.  Each time you become acutely aware of having had the abortion, you may have a renewed sense of anxiety, sadness, rage, or longing for whatever you are grieving.  Experiencing these feelings over and over gives you repeated opportunities to mourn.  Only through allowing yourself to mourn will you heal the grief you feel.

There are exercises you can do to work through your grief in Peace After Abortion.