Grief is one of the most complex emotional experiences we face as human beings. Whether it follows the death of a loved one, the pain of separation, or the loss of one’s home or sense of belonging due to immigration, grief changes not only how we feel — but also how our brains function.

Grief impacts individuals and families on emotional, relational, and biological levels.

When my mom passed away in October, years ago, I was legally an adult, emotionally raw and completely unprepared. Until then, I thought “heartbreak” was something that only came from romantic loss — crying in your car to sad music over a crush who didn’t text back. But losing my mom taught me that heartbreak can also come from something much deeper: the absence of someone who helped shape your entire world.

That loss was my first crash course in grief

Are you struggling to understand and cope with the loss of someone or something that hasn’t passed on?

Do you feel hopeless, confused, sad, unable to sleep, or are you experiencing an inability to move forward as a result of being separated from who you used to know?

If so; you may be experiencing ambiguous loss.

Ambiguous loss is a profound sense of sadness and loss that is not associated with the death of a loved one. It consists of a lack of closure due to either physical or psychological absence.