Health educators Layna Berman and Jeffry Fawcett PhD discuss the role of grief in making health care decisions during transitions.

Also available on CD at Shows on CD.

SHOW INTRODUCTION This is a time of year for reflection and looking back and forward. Living and learning involves loss. Some are as little as changing a life habit that has lost its luster. But some are as profound as losing a beloved. In all cases, loss leads to grief, a natural pathway that prepares us for the transition to living without something we depended on. I have begun to believe that grieving is essential for change and adaptation. Because it demands time and energy, so people often try to leap over it in an attempt to just “get on with it.” Grief counselors report statistics showing incomplete grieving can contribute to future bad health outcomes. Hard though it is, grieving loss through life transitions supports change and learning. Simply put, you have to show up to learn what life can teach you. So whether you’re facing a complex health decision or recovering from the death of a loved one, grieving may be the key to moving on.