Going Through a Divorce and Need a Therapist?
San Diego’s Clear Mind Counseling Therapists Can Help You Cope with Your Divorce
What are the first signs of divorce?
What are the five stages of divorce?
What are the grounds (reasons) for divorce?
Ending a marriage is an upsetting event. It is marked by disappointment and the loss of dreams and expectations. There are also legal, parental, financial, practical, and emotional challenges that require time and energy. A divorce can take years to resolve and regain stability. The therapists at Clear Mind Counseling in San Diego can help. They are skilled in working with patients in the San Diego area who are coping with the trauma of divorce.
There are five stages of divorce, following closely to the five stages of grief. They are:
Denial: The spouse being left (called the leavee) fails to grasp the reality of the situation.
Anger: This emotion masks all others and is directed towards the spouse who filed for divorce (known as the leaver).
Bargaining: An attempt to salvage the relationship or pinpoint what went wrong. This stage can be helpful if there is a chance the partnership can be saved.
Depression: The weight of dealing with the three previous stages, combined with the reality that the marriage is over results in this most difficult stage of all. Depression lasts longer than the other stages and it is harder to overcome.
Acceptance: Finding the strength to move on and reclaim your life and end the grieving process. However circling back through previous stages after one has come to terms with the situation is quite normal.
When a couple is going through a divorce, both people experience these stages at different times, and in different ways. Understanding how people cope with divorce grief helps make the whole experience more manageable, but not less difficult. Grief and healing are completely individualized processes. Although the stages of divorce are presented in a specific order, it is rare that someone will experience the stages one after the other.
Every emotion that arises during the divorce process is justifiable and brings a person that much closer to healing. Negativity and troubling feelings do diminish over time as a person learns to find their new normal.
The loss of a partner due to divorce makes people feel lonely and isolated. Therapy and a support group of family and friends are invaluable in the healing process. The relationship wasn’t built overnight and healing from a divorce won’t happen quickly either. You’ll need time to work through all your feelings and come to the realization that you’re no longer in a marriage. There is no set time for grief. Just know that you should take all the time you need.