Loss, Bereavement and Creativity

Abstract

Within the field of death and bereavement studies, the assumption that loss and bereavement provide the spur to creativity has become so widespread as to assume the status of a conventional wisdom. With this in mind, this article surveys the literature on the topic, extant, and contemporary, revealing its diffuseness as well as the multidisciplinary synergies produced by those working in disparate academic and clinical fields of practice. In so doing, the article explores what it means to be creative in the context of loss and bereavement, the potential for self-development and personal growth offered by creativity and loss, the theoretical premises linking creativity and loss, and the application and challenges for creative therapies in the institutional context of hospice and palliative care.

COVID-19 Ruptures And Disruptions on Grieving And Mourning Within an African Context: Lessons For Social Work Practice

“…Mourning refers to the activities through which a person responds to loss. It is also known as the outer physical demonstration in public displays and rituals intended to facilitate and guide the individuals on their journey through grief (Brennan, 2015). The experience of grief, bereavement and mourning is culturally embedded and understood according to a particular culture’s norms, beliefs and traditions (Anderson, 2010).…”

Bonded from Brokenness: A Collaborative Autoethnography on Maternal Bereavement

“…Creative activities such as photography, storytelling, and creative writing have been found to aid in women’s transformative learning journeys (Irving & English, 2011). Brennan (2015) explores the idea of creativity spurred by bereavement and acknowledges the “inextinguishable human impulse to create in the face of loss; more counter-intuitively, to create something beautiful from the ugly detritus of pain and suffering” (p. 301). Tara, have you found arts-based approaches useful in communicating and meaning-making during the grief experience?…”