Navigating life after loss can trigger a wide range of reactions, emotions, and questions for those left behind. It is often a time of reflecting on your own life and the meaning of life. It is common for people navigating stressful life events, including grief and bereavement, to draw on spirituality as a source of strength and coping in the face of challenges. Spirituality will mean different things for different people and beliefs about spirituality can change when we go through significant life events.
As we consider the role of spirituality in grief and bereavement, it might help to ask yourself: What does spirituality mean to me?
What role does spirituality play in your life?
As you navigate bereavement and life after loss, it is important to consider your spiritual needs and how your spirituality can be a source of strength to draw on in grief. To help you consider the role spirituality can play in your life it can help to contemplate the following questions:
Do you consider yourself spiritual or religious?
How important is religion and/or spirituality in your life?
Do you have spiritual beliefs and practices that help you to cope with difficult times?
What gives you strength in difficult times?
What gives your life meaning?
Are you part of a spiritual community? Is this community of support to you? How do they support you?
When you reflect on your life, what feels most important to you?
Have you thought about what happens after death?
When we are bereaved and experience the natural and normal response to loss through grief, it can also help to consider the following questions to help us make sense of the death.
Do you have any spiritual or religious beliefs that shape how you view or process loss?
Where do you feel most spiritually connected?
Where do you find meaning and hope?
How have you made sense of the death? How do you interpret the loss now?
Are there particular memories or experiences that bring you peace or comfort?
What spiritual beliefs contribute to your adjustment to this loss?
How has this experience affected your view of yourself and your world?
What actions, prayers, words, or music provide spiritual comfort?
Spiritual practices and tools
Spiritual practices and tools can help those bereaved to navigate difficult times. The same tools we recommended for those living with a life-limiting illness before they died, are equally effective and helpful in grief and bereavement. These include meditation, breathing practices and journalling. Click on the links to explore how these practices can support your spirituality in grief and bereavement.
Spiritual care services
Some people find talking with a spiritual companion or spiritual care provider can be helpful to explore their spiritual needs. A spiritual companion or spiritual care provider is someone who listens to you and can help you face the challenges of navigating grief and bereavement. Your spiritual companion can be a family member or friend, someone on your healthcare team, a leader in your spiritual tradition, a member of your faith community, or a spiritual support services volunteer. Essentially anyone who is willing to help you explore your spiritual questions and concerns can be a spiritual companion.
Metro North Health Spiritual Support Services
Metro North Health provides free spiritual support and multi-faith services, available to everyone including those with no identified faith, spiritual or religious practices. Spiritual support services are provided by volunteers and can provide emotional support, spiritual or religious guidance, a listening ear, reflection and compassion, support to seek meaning and purpose and support if you are seeking forgiveness, reconciliation, and closure. They also offer grief and bereavement support.
In our hospital and health facilities across Metro North we also offer spaces for spiritual practice, including private prayer and reflection. For more information visit Metro North Health Spiritual Support Services