What Is Disenfranchised Grief?
Grief is a universal human experience that we all inevitably encounter at various points in our lives.
While the death of a loved one is what people most commonly associate with grief, there are also many other losses that can lead to mourning such as the loss of relationships, mental or physical health, a job, past chapters of your life, and many more.
These experiences of grief are referred to as “disenfranchised grief” because they often go overlooked and unnoticed by society.
What Is Disenfranchised Grief?
Disenfranchised grief, also known as hidden grief, is grief that a person experiences when they go through a loss that isn’t openly acknowledged or validated by social norms.
This can include situations like the death of an ex-partner or someone you never knew (such as a sibling or absent parent), or the loss of someone or something that isn’t due to death (such as the loss of a relationship, career, chapter of your life, or community).
Oftentimes these kinds of grief are “hidden” because it can be difficult for people to express their feelings when what they are experiencing isn’t understood by others or seen as something worthy of grieving about. When the loss a person experiences goes unrecognized, it can be a really isolating experience for the griever and make it harder for them to process and move through their emotions.
Causes Of Disenfranchised Grief
Disenfranchised grief typically shows up in a few different ways:
Ambiguous Loss: This occurs when the nature of the loss is unclear or lacks closure. Some examples of this include having a missing person in one's life, experiencing a stillbirth, or having a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease.
Stigmatized Loss: This occurs when the loss is due to suicide, drug overdose, or any other socially stigmatized condition or circumstance.
Non-Death Loss: Not all disenfranchised grief is tied to death. It can also stem from non-death losses, such as the end of a significant relationship, infertility, losing a pet, or experiencing a traumatic event that others struggle to understand.
Examples Of Disenfranchised Grief
Death of an ex-partner
Death of a pet
Separating or divorcing from a partner
Loss of closeness to someone in your life
Loss of a career or job
Infertility
Loss of a home
Dementia or Alzheimer’s of a loved one
Loss of a community
Loss of mobility or health
Loss of a past chapter of your life
Experiencing a miscarriage or stillbirth
Grief Therapy In Kansas and Missouri
If you’re experiencing disenfranchised grief, know that it is valid no matter what type of loss you have experienced and you don’t have to process these feelings on your own!
At New Narrative Therapy, I specialize in counseling through grief which helps my clients change the relationship they have with their pain, reframe their story, and find meaning in their healing. Schedule your free consultation today by calling 913.735.9226 or emailing me at shannon@newnarrativetherapy.org.
