Ritual in Therapy for Prolonged Grief: A Scoping Review of Ritual Elements in Evidence-Informed Grief Interventions.

ABSTRACT: The aim of this article of to analyze ritual in evidence-informed treatments for prolonged and traumatic grief. A scoping review is conducted in order to give an overview of existing literature on ritual and symbolic interventions in grief therapies for prolonged grief and the type of evidence supporting these interventions. The 22 studies reported in this review reveal a variety of ritual elements ranging from symbolic expression and interaction, writing assignments, dialogue with the deceased or an imaginary person, to farewell ceremonies at the end of the treatment. The interventions are studied within different populations (e.g., bereaved spouses, perinatal loss, grief after violent death, and genocide). Almost all studies show significant effects of the grief treatment, trauma and rel

SUBMITTER: Wojtkowiak J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7887294 | biostudies-literature | 2020

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature