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Giant Brain Candy: Being There Beats Advice. Asked what helped after a sudden loss, bereaved people named presence, concern and a chance to talk. Advice, pushes to recover and ‘I know how you feel’ often felt unhelpful. Source: What helps the bereaved.
Growing evidenceThe research
  1. Lehman, D. R., Ellard, J. H., & Wortman, C. B. (1986). Social support for the bereaved: Recipients' and providers' perspectives on what is helpful. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 54(4), 438–446.

Journey 3 · Grief

Being There Beats Advice

Asked what helped after a sudden loss, bereaved people named presence, concern and a chance to talk. Advice, pushes to recover and ‘I know how you feel’ often felt unhelpful.

Source: What helps the bereaved · Growing evidence

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Giant Brain Candy: Bending Without Breaking. Following people from years before a spouse died to 18 months after, researchers found resilience was the most common pattern: real sorrow, with daily life holding its shape. Source: Resilience after loss.
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