Kübler-Ross gave five stages of grief, although it was originally made for people who got ill after facing the death of their loved ones. Later on, it became the most popular theory to cope with grief. So the five stages of grieving are denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. Let's understand them in-depth.

While there are many other things that imago couples therapy can help with, these are some of the major things it helps tackle.

1. Denial

   Grief is a difficult emotion to process and the person going through it chooses to deny the situation altogether. In the first stage, when you are in denial mode, you won't be able to accept that something has been done or that someone has died. For example: if you go through a breakup, you might process it by saying, “It isn't real; they will call tomorrow," or “It is just a phase; we will come back again.”

2. Anger

   While most people use denial as a coping mechanism, anger is more like a masking effect where the person is trying to hide the pain and hurt behind their anger. The anger is directed towards the ex, or someone whom you have lost and mostly comes out in ways like “How can they just leave me?” or “How can God take them away from me?”.

   It is not full-on rage but mere resentment and frustration, which shows the hurt and pain you must be going through.

3. Bargaining

   While processing grief, it is quite common to feel vulnerable and guilty, which calls for the third stage, which is bargaining. So to regain control and not feel helpless, you might process your emotions by saying, “If I had put in more effort, they would have stayed” or 'If I had given more hours to my work, they would have seen my worth.”

   This stage is where you might be defensive about what has already happened and postpone the difficult emotions in order to process them.

4. Depression

   In the early stages of grief, you are mostly running from the difficult emotions; however, when you reach the stage of depression , your pain and emotions take a quiet side wherein you isolate yourself. This stage isn't easy, as you feel lost and like you have to start a new life altogether.

   You may feel stuck, blurry, and confused. It may come in the form of, “What am I without the person I have lost?” or “How will I find another well-paying job?”.

   This stage may require some mental health assistance from a professional or your loved ones so you are able to move out of this stage graciously.

5. Acceptance

   Acceptance doesn't mean that you have happily made peace with everything. However, it does mean that you have come to terms with whatever has unfolded in your life. Acceptance doesn't mean that you won't miss that person or won't have days to call them up or cry about them.

   You may still feel that void or hurt, but you would have accepted that it is what it is and that it is okay to miss someone's presence and know that you cannot have them.

   For example: accepting that breaking up with someone was a healthy choice for both of you or reminiscing about the memories of someone you lost and being grateful to have spent time with them.

Grief counseling is an umbrella term that has different types of grief therapy under it for different people and cohorts. As therapy is not one-size fits all, there are different types of grief therapy for you to see which suits you the best and go ahead with it.

They are as follows:

1. Grief therapy

   This is a form of therapy that helps address physical and behavioral issues you might face after experiencing the loss of someone close to you. It also helps you if you are having difficulty separating yourself from the loss.

2. Complicated grief therapy

   Complicated grief takes place when the grief takes control of you completely and it becomes hard for you to come out of it. It might even result in dysfunctional behaviour, thoughts, and actions, which can even lead to deeper consequences. It may also be considered when the intensity of grief has not decreased in the months or year after the loved one's death.

   Complicated grief therapy is a form of therapy that is given to such people to help them cope with this grief in an effective manner. CGT targets adults experiencing complicated grief, also known as prolonged grief disorder, traumatic grief, or persistent complex bereavement disorder. It's a long term treatment approach.

3. Traumatic grief therapy

   When you experience the sudden death of a loved one, you may experience traumatic grief. To get help with this, traumatic grief therapy can help you feel better and pave the way for dealing with the emotions of losing a loved one effectively.

After the therapist has decided which type of grief therapy will fit your case scenario the best, they will see which grief counseling technique to use that fits with your personality and case.

Here are some of the grief counseling techniques:

1. Acceptance and commitment therapy

   In this therapy, you are made to understand your negative thoughts and accept that it is okay to have such thoughts and feelings so you are able to form healthier patterns that help you align with your real self.

2. Cognitive behavioral therapy

   In this therapy, it helps you identify the root cause of your automatic negative thoughts and how they lead to you feeling a certain way. Once this therapy helps you recognize the pattern of your negative thoughts, you can consciously start working on them.

3. Mindfulness based cognitive therapy

   Mindfulness based cognitive therapy is not meant to minimise the pain or to convince you that everything is okay, but rather to help you recognise the reality of your situation in a non judgemental and self-compassionate way.

4. Group therapy

   When it comes to healing from grief, group therapy works wonders, as when people share their personal stories in a group setting , it helps one feel less alone and more like there are people who can understand what it feels like to go through a loss. This is very therapeutic, as it also helps you find a partner who is on the same journey as you and makes the grieving process a little more bearable with time.

5. Art therapy

   Sometimes it might be hard for some individuals to express their hurt and pain in words, so art comes in very handy. In art therapy, a person going through grief can express their emotions in a creative manner, whether by drawing, writing, singing, or moving—whatever feels most comfortable to them. This can help them feel a bit lighter and relieved.

While grief is a personal journey, taking counseling sure helps you put things into perspective and live a happy life, even though things seem to be all over the place. So, the benefits of grief counseling are as follows:

1. It helps you go deep within yourself and find a new you
2. Builds strong coping skills and resilience
3. It helps you learn how live a full-fledged life without the one you lost
4. Improves self-awareness and helps you become more empathetic towards yourself
5. It makes you understand the importance of spending time with loved ones
6. Accepting of death and how it is important to cherish life and relationships