"I called upon the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me and set me in a large place.
 The Lord is on my side; I will not fear ... The Lord taketh my path ... It is better to trust
in the Lord than to put confidence in man ..."                                                                        
                                                                                                                       Psalm 118: 5 - 9
Many years ago, while ministering inside a Texas Department of Criminal Justice prison
unit, an inmate came to me and showed me from the Word of God, the Bible ... just how
he felt.  He opened the Scriptures to Psalm 31: 9 - 13 ... and this is what he read:

"Have mercy upon me, o Lord, for I am in trouble:  mine
eye is consumed with grief, yea, my soul and my belly.  
For my life is spent with grief, and my years with sighing;
my strength faileth because of mine iniquity, and my bones
are consumed.  I was a reproach among all mine enemies,
but especially among my neighbors, and a fear to mine
acquaintances.  They that did see me without fled from
me.  I am forgotten as a dead man, out of mind.  I am
like a broken vessel.  For I have heard the slander of
many:  fear was on every side, while they took counsel
together against me, they devised to take away my life."

Grief and afflictions caused David, the author of this Psalm, to "waste away."  His life
was filled with sorrow.  Have you ever been to the place where you've cried so much
that you have no more tears left to cry??? The Psalmist's strength seems to be failing.  
He feels emotionally and physically drained.  And he was overwhelmed with fear.

All of these emotions can be associated with grief and/or depression.  Grief and
depression can erupt in our lives in many different forms, and to varying degrees.  
Understand when you are reading the following symptoms, that not all of them are
experienced by each one who grieves.  It is important to know also that a person can
revert back and forth between symptoms.  In addition, people from various places and
cultures around the world, can experience grief and/or depression differently.  


*Stomachaches and/or headaches
*Weakness and/or fatigue
*Unclear thinking process
*Diminished sexual desire
*Varying degrees of insomnia
*Little or no appetite


*Severe grief and/or depression can also hamper our immune systems.  
When  our immune systems are unsound, other illnesses can occur as well.
 *Grief and/or depression can also lead to addictions ... and even suicide.
*Low self-esteem
*Uncontrollable emotional responses
*Fear, anger, bitterness, extreme sadness
*Panic ... the urge to run away
*Guilt
*Social withdrawal
*Oppression ... the feeling of carrying a heavy burden

OR ... just the opposite may occur.  There may be a block of all emotions.
As with symptoms ... the stages of grief can vary in their intensity and degree.  
And, we can go back and forth between stages, just as we do in symptoms.  It
should also be noted that the loved ones of the one immediately affected by the
trauma, can also experience the symptoms and stages of grief, in varying degrees.

*Shock ... emotional as well as physical
*Denial              
*Emotional reactions
*Bargaining with God
*Loneliness
*Depression
*Acceptance

Note: If there is any "good" stage in experiencing grief and/or depression,
acceptance is it!  Once we have realized, admitted and accepted that the tragedy
is real, and that  happened to us, ... it is then that the light of HOPE can shine
through.  It is then that healing can begin!
By JANE E. HARBER, LBT
E-Mail Me
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HOPE!!
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Gentle Springs of Hope
Symptoms & Stages
of Grief
One Foot on a Banana Peel ...
Looking Through Grief to the
God of all Comfort

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This study of the
symptoms and stages of
grief, is by no means all
inclusive.  It is intended to
give you a general idea of
the battle you or a loved
one may be waging.  For
further information, see
One Foot on a Banana Peel.
Physical Symptoms
Emotional Symptoms
Stages of Grief
Psalm 107: 10 - 14
Jeremiah 31: 1 - 17
Psalm 118: 5 - 9
Numbers 13: 33
Book of Job
Ezekiel chapter 21
Genesis 23: 2
I Kings 13: 30
I Samuel 31: 13
II Samuel 3: 35
Joshua 7: 6
Matthew 18: 19
Ecclesiastes 4: 12
Psalm 23: 4
Scripture References
to Study