By removing the "bereavement exclusion" from what had been considered the bible of the mental health world, the DSM's editors risk undermining bereavement as a universal, normal, if profoundly painful, experience.

So why do we love our pets so much? Let me answer as a dog owner, even though this list may attest to cats, birds, hamsters, snakes, horse, chickens or whatever other pet an owner may share his or her life with.

Never an easy lesson of life, loss is experienced by all. And for those of us who have lost a loved one, certain holidays can become excruciating reminders of the persons we so dearly miss.

Based on my years treating patients who have dealt with the loss of a loved one and my personal experience with my husband's death, I know there are many complicated emotions that one can experience when dealing with late-stage illness and death.

This Mother's Day has given me a new perspective on the stages of life, the inner strength that can be called upon even in the toughest of times, and most importantly, the enduring power of love.

You can't outrun grief, I'll tell you that for sure. It is an inconvenient truth if ever there was one. Is it better today than it was three years ago when I got that nightmarish, surreal phone call?

"Letting Go: A Series" The books on my bookshelf represent my passions and dreams books read and unread centering clay button history diagnostic man...

Memories are like gold nuggets, nuggets with sharp edges that eventually wear smooth. During the first year or two of grief, memories may be painful, only highlighting the loved one's absence. However, over time, a shift begins to occur.

This week's vlog is about the difference between Chairos and Chronos, the importance of giving yourself permission to do less (or nothing at all) and the power of taking time off.

How do we wake to a new day and move forward? What do we say to ourselves, to each other, to our children? Sadly, no explanation can make sense of this mindless devastation. Nonetheless, there are some things we can do to take care of ourselves and to take care of each other.

It is clear that I must now make a new home for myself within my own heart. There I must create a door that is always open, a light that burns eternally, a spark that cherishes my name, and a blessing of continual self-forgiveness.

I can't say that my father was ready for death or that any of us was ready for him to go. But I believe that thanks to hospice care, and some miracle of timing and life force and will that I will never quite understand, my dad's death was as beautiful as a death can be.

By opening to his own grief instead of armoring himself with anger, Justin was finally able to start the healing process. His grief had never gone away; it had just been hidden. Once he was willing to open to it and feel it, his own sorrow could show him the way home to peace.

Instead of trying to change your feelings (as cognitive therapy attempts to do), change how you choose to view your thoughts. Practicing this way, we can notice what's without immediately reacting, thus become better to choose how we want to react.

If you can pay attention, and let yourself hurt, it will open you up to living life more meaningfully. By knowing we don't have forever here or with someone, we can learn to appreciate the people in our lives more, to love more, and to be more open with what people mean to us.

One of the most important aspects of being human is the fact that we have feelings -- all day long. And yet, rarely are we taught healthy ways to cope with them. Who among us learned about coping with emotions in school?

It's easy to feel defeated and sorry for yourself when challenges in life arise, however, you can take another approach. While you may not be able to always control what happens in life, you can always choose how to react to it.

Remember that we cannot begin again until some other chapter has closed. For the daffodil, the winter is on the wane. The end of one season brings the onset of the next new life.