Many people believe that there is more to life than just our worldly existence. When we leave this world, the belief is that we will all meet up again somewhere in the afterlife. Is this a true belief or is it more of a way to cope with loss?
Not everyone believes there is a place to go when we die. They believe that our bodies are returned to the earth, and that is the end. They don’t believe in any otherworldly beings or places. What is unclear about these people, is whether this belief helps them during the grieving process. It’s a bit gloomy to come to the realization that there is nothing else. Of course, according to this type of belief, we won’t know about it.
Some people believe the afterlife is a renewed birth into our existing world. This is where the term Déjà Vu comes into play. It’s the feeling that we have been in a certain place even though we have never physically been there in the life we are living now. Several religions believe in this concept, known as reincarnation.
Some of these religions take it a step further and believe what you return as will depend on how you behaved in your current life. If you were not a nice person, Karma would get the best of you, and you will return as a more lowly creature. You will continue along this chain ascending to a better level each time. The hope is that you live a wholesome life so that you don’t have to revert.
Then, there are many who believe in some form of heaven, which is another plane of existence that is reserved for your life force, commonly referred to as your soul. Some of these religions also believe in an alternative place, reserved for those who were bad in life. It has many names, but a common one is called hell.
Whatever the belief is, people use it to help them cope with the loss of others. In some ways, this is selfish as it is centered on what we believe may happen to us and can be less about the person who has passed on. We would certainly like to see our loved ones again, but in reality, we wonder what is going to happen to us eventually. The only real certainty is that we are going to leave this world one of these days.
Citizen Counselling and Coaching have a number of our counsellors and coaches in Birmingham who can provide support for grief, loss and bereavement. This can include patient one to one support, creating practical coping strategies and through sharing techniques and models that have worked for others. We also have specialist counsellors who work with children aged 4 upwards.
Our ‘My Grief & Loss Coach’ online programme and Coaching was designed for time poor busy people looking to manage their grief and loss or for those who don’t feel they can talk with a counsellor or coach one to one at this stage.
Our Grief and Loss page can explain more
You will find our online programme ‘My Grief & Loss Coach here
