EMDR Therapy Treatment of Grief and Mourning in Times of COVID-19 (Coronavirus)

Abstract

Death of a loved one is universally distressing. The stressful conditions of COVID-19 can compound the trauma of a loss. Consequently, the mourner has to deal with: (a) the loss of a loved one; (b) potential complications of grief and mourning caused by COVID-19 (e.g., sudden and unexpected death, a loved one’s suffering, inability to be physically present to offer comfort or say good-bye, social distancing interfering with funeral and religious ceremonies); and (c) personal disruption caused by COVID-19 (e.g., disruption of employment and daily living routines, fears related to safety and uncertainty). Further, grief can be complicated by prior unresolved losses and trauma, including attachment-based trauma, which would also need to be identified and treated. This article presents a framework for treatment of grief and mourning with Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. EMDR treatment, guided by the Adaptive Information Processing model, can be informed by other frameworks, including attachment theory and the Dual Process Model, which are described. A case example is presented to illustrate treatment of a client whose father died due to COVID-19.

Bereavement in Times of COVID-19: A Review and Theoretical Framework

“…This perspective enabled structured analysis of COVID-19 bereavement experience in terms of losses and challenges, through systematic scientifically-based analysis of positive and negative family processes. Solomon and Hensley (2020) described EMDR complicated grief treatment guided by the Adaptive Information Processing Model and extended coverage to include the attachment theory and DPM frameworks for COVID-19 bereavement application. Two articles make reference to specific grief frameworks to guide and structure their literature reviews: Bertuccio and Runion (2020) systematically examined well-established grief manifestations; Rao et al.…”

“…Increases in mental difficulties/ disorders associated with bereavement have also been predicted and many anticipate increases in Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD; e.g., Gesi et al 2020;Goveas & Shear, 2020;Johns et al, 2020;Kokou-Kpolou et al, 2020;Masiero et al, 2020;Mortazavi et al, 2020;Wallace et al, 2020;Zhai & Du, 2020). The COVID-19 situation incorporates various features that have been associated with mental health complications (PTSD, anxiety disorders, complicated grief), or ones that have been described as risk factors (e.g., sudden and/or traumatic death) in the past (see Solomon & Hensley, 2020). Goveas and Shear (2020) list PGD risk factors related to death during COVID-19, covering the circumstances, context and consequences of the death.…”

“…The reviewed articles cover a number of COVID-19-related LO as well as RO stressors and list diverse reactions/consequences, summarized in Table 1. The “plethora of losses” characteristic of COVID-19 bereavement experience (see Solomon & Hensley, 2020) and the variety and extent of DPM-postulated LO and RO stressors in relationship to COVID-19 bereavement, are clearly evident. In fact, it proved relatively easy to distinguish these two types in the articles reviewed.…”

“…Oscillation is less tangible, less easily operationalized or measured than LO or RO stressors (Fiore, 2019) and its presence can only indirectly be inferred from the articles. However, Solomon and Hensley (2020) explicitly incorporate the concept of oscillation into their description of EMDR treatment of grief during COVID-19 times. RO stressors are understood to trigger past attachment-relationship trauma, compounding the impact of death of the close person.…”

“…However, ours is only one among a number of theoretical approaches which have been developed to comprehend manifestations and phenomena of grief and grieving, as well-illustrated in the articles by Solomon and Hensley (2020) and Walsh (2020), reviewed earlier. We saw that Ku¨bler-Ross's DABDA stage model (Ku¨bler-Ross & Kessler, 2005) featured in a couple of articles.…”