Grief is unpredictable, study claims

Those that have recently experienced a loss and are concerned that they are not grieving in the same way as others could have their minds put at rest by a new study.

Researchers at Baylor University claim that grief is an unpredictable process that works like a pin ball machine.

They explain that there is no pattern for moving through the stages and emotional triggers can act as pinball rudders to sender patients into a rebound.

This means that for some people, significant events, phrases and even music could send them back into the grieving process.

Dr Margaret Baier, assistant professor in the family and consumer sciences department at Baylor and a marriage and family therapist, and Dr Ruth Buechsel, a psychologist at Brooke Army Medical Center, are responsible for creating the pinball grief model.

They claim that explaining how grief can return to those who are bereft can help to avoid feelings of isolation many feel when they notice others have moved on from an incident.

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