Finding happiness and wellbeing in the face of extreme adversity

Elzen, Katrin Den

doi:10.1201/9781003008835-2

The Pursuit of Happiness 2020

DOI: 10.1201/9781003008835-2

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Finding happiness and wellbeing in the face of extreme adversity

Katrin Den Elzen¹

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2023

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“…Either used by the own initiative of the bereaved, as part of low-threshold and/or specialized interventions, writing has proven to have therapeutic effects. The literature in psychology and the humanities provides solid support for the therapeutic effects writing can have when it enhances affective processing and meaning-making of grief, trauma, life transitions, and many other circumstances Den Elzen & Lengelle, 2023;Neimeyer, 1999;Pennebaker & Smyth, 2016;Steffen et al, 2022).…”

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Experiences of Fathers in Norway Attending an Online Course on Therapeutic Writing After the Death of a Child

Lehmann,

Kalstad,

Neimeyer

2023

Qual Health Res

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After the unexpected death of a child, bereaved parents require prompt access to helpful support systems. Online therapeutic writing courses can make such support accessible. Because few studies have included bereaved fathers as participants, we explored the experiences of fathers whose children died unexpectedly and who were part of an online course of therapeutic writing in Norway. We piloted two courses (group 1, six weeks, n = 9; group 2, 5 weeks, n = 5). We describe our methodological considerations for using poetic representations in qualitative health research and present four poetic representations based on fieldwork notes written by the principal investigator. Then, we triangulate and narratively analyze them together with two collective poems written by participants from each group; excerpts of the writings from two fathers, one per group; evaluation surveys ( n = 4; n = 3); and, anonymous check-out journaling from the second group ( n = 3). Resistance was a salient feature of our participants’ grief, and writing enabled them to both be in contact with their emotional world and process difficult emotions as they looked for meaning despite the death of their children. Those who attended the most classes perceived the course as transformative, being part of an ongoing self-exploration, and a possibility to continue and strengthen the bond with their children. Our findings mirror the complexities of the grief experiences of fathers, giving account of their need to find a rhythm to dive into their emotional world, the importance of peer support, and the value of diversifying intervention techniques to meet individual needs and preferences.

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confidence: 99%

Experiences of Fathers in Norway Attending an Online Course on Therapeutic Writing After the Death of a Child

Lehmann,

Kalstad,

Neimeyer

2023

Qual Health Res

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Finding happiness and wellbeing in the face of extreme adversity

Cited by 1 publication

References 1 publication

Experiences of Fathers in Norway Attending an Online Course on Therapeutic Writing After the Death of a Child

Experiences of Fathers in Norway Attending an Online Course on Therapeutic Writing After the Death of a Child

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