As a freshman in high school in the fall of 1992, I was in an honors seminar class that explored several topics. I was your typical high school freshman, concerned way more with baseball than my coursework, and I still wish today I had paid more attention to my great teacher, Stan Whittle. One of these topics was the work of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross.
In 1969, Kubler-Ross first published her grief cycle. In 1996, I began to understand her work after my dad’s suicide. Whether you’ve experienced a loss or not, knowing Kubler-Ross’ work will help you understand and empathize with the cycle that those experiencing a loss wind their way through in the wake of the death of a loved one.
The stages of Kubler-Ross’ grief cycle include Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression, and Acceptance.
She framed her work as a model rather than a process because she believed that while a process can be fixed and rigid, a model tends to be more of a framework or a guide.
Some people don’t experience some of the stages. Some experience some of the stages multiple times.
Kubler-Ross calls the transition between her stages “more of an ebb or flow, rather than a progression.”
You can read the full model at www.ekrfoundation.org/five-stages-of-grief, and it’s a fascinating read as it’s built for each grieving individual to find his or her personal path as they heal.
The work of Elisabeth Kubler-Ross helped me on my journey to understand that we must seek to understand our grief. I hope she can help you or someone you love as well.
Would you like to share your story? Please get in touch with Kate's Club! KC has free grief support with grief resources, grief counseling resources, grief training, and volunteer work in Atlanta and surrounding places in Georgia. Kate's Club is a growing nonprofit in Atlanta with grief specialists for kids and young adults going through bereavement. Our goal is to make a world where it is okay to grieve.