When Grief Feels Like It Will Never End – How Grief Therapy Can Help You Heal
Grief can feel overwhelming, unpredictable, and never-ending. Some days you may feel like you’re coping, and on others, even the smallest moment can bring you right back into the pain. If you’re here, it’s likely because grief has stayed with you longer or more intensely than you expected, and you’re wondering how to keep going.
You’re not alone.
Grief therapy offers compassionate support, guidance, and proven therapeutic tools to help you process loss at a pace that feels right for you. This article explores how to deal with grief, what to expect in therapy, and answers to common questions people have when they’re struggling to carry the weight of loss.
Understanding the Emotional Complexity of Grief
Grief isn’t simple — and it certainly isn’t linear. Many people expect themselves to “move on” in an orderly way, yet grief often shows up in waves. You may feel intense sadness one week, then numbness the next, and moments of acceptance followed by anger or longing.
Several factors influence how long grief lasts and how intense it feels:
The nature of the relationship
The circumstances of the loss
Your past experiences with grief or trauma
Your support system
Your coping strategies
When is grief the worst?
For many people, grief feels most intense in the early weeks and months, but difficult moments can resurface during anniversaries, milestones, or when life becomes stressful. These “grief spikes” are normal and do not mean you’re going backwards.
What Are the 5 Stages of Grief?
Most people have heard of the five stages of grief: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. These stages can help us understand common emotional reactions, but they’re widely misunderstood.
Here’s what’s important to know:
The stages are not sequential
You may move back and forth between stages
Some people won’t experience all stages
The model was never meant to be a rigid roadmap
Getting “stuck” in a stage (like anger or despair) can happen when support is limited
Therapy can help you understand your emotional patterns and work through areas where you feel blocked.
How to Deal With Grief in Healthy, Sustainable Ways
Grief takes time, and coping tools can help you stay grounded during difficult periods.
Common Coping Strategies
If you’ve been wondering how to cope with grief, here are supportive, evidence-informed options:
Prioritize basic self-care — rest, hydration, nourishment, and gentle movement
Stay connected with at least one supportive person
Use grounding techniques such as deep breathing or sensory exercises
Create rituals for remembrance, like journaling, lighting a candle, or visiting a meaningful place
Give yourself permission to feel — avoiding emotions can prolong suffering
These strategies don’t erase grief, but they help you move through it without becoming overwhelmed.
Signs You May Need Additional Support
Not everyone who grieves needs therapy, but certain signs suggest it may be time to seek extra support:
Grief feels constant, heavy, or unmanageable
You feel stuck in sadness, guilt, or anger
Daily functioning is affected (sleep, appetite, motivation, focus)
You avoid reminders of the person or feel unable to talk about the loss
You feel disconnected, numb, or hopeless
The intensity of your grief has not eased over time
For some people, this may signal prolonged grief disorder or complicated grief, where emotions remain severe enough to impact everyday life. Therapy can help you gently untangle these patterns.
How Grief Therapy Helps You Heal
Grief therapy creates a safe, supportive space to explore your emotions, understand your experience, and learn tools that make the weight of grief easier to carry.
What Happens in Grief Therapy?
If you’re wondering how to process grief in therapy, sessions may include:
Emotional processing — exploring feelings you’ve been avoiding
Narrative therapy — telling the story of your loss to create meaning
Cognitive-behavioural strategies — challenging guilt, self-blame, or painful thoughts
Memory and legacy work — honouring the person you lost in a way that feels healing
Coping skills training — grounding, self-soothing, and emotional regulation strategies
Your therapist meets you where you are — there is no pressure to “move on,” only support to help you move forward.
Why Working With a Therapist Can Make a Difference
A therapist can help you:
Understand your emotions
Reduce isolation
Prevent overwhelm or burnout
Navigate complicated or traumatic losses
Build long-term strategies for coping with future waves of grief
Grief can feel incredibly lonely. Therapy reminds you that you don't have to go through it alone.
Grief Counselling vs. Grief Therapy: What’s the Difference?
Both grief counselling and grief therapy can help, but they differ slightly:
Grief counselling tends to focus on emotional support, validation, and short-term coping.
Grief therapy (usually led by psychologists or specialized clinicians) offers deeper, structured healing work, especially for traumatic, complicated, or prolonged grief.
Both approaches are valuable; the right option depends on what you’re experiencing.
Grief Therapy in Edmonton – Finding the Right Support
Why Choose a Local Therapist
For individuals searching for grief therapy in Edmonton, meeting with a local clinician offers several benefits:
In-person support when you need it most
Knowledge of community resources
Consistency and continuity of care
A sense of connection within your own community
Edgar Psychological provides trauma-informed, evidence-based grief therapy tailored to your unique needs.
What to Look for in a Grief Therapist
A supportive therapist will offer:
Training in grief, trauma, or loss-related therapy
A nonjudgmental, compassionate presence
An approach that feels safe and collaborative
Experience with prolonged or complicated grief
Clear communication and comfort discussing painful emotions
Questions you might ask at your first session:
What is your approach to grief therapy?
How do you support clients who feel stuck or overwhelmed?
What can I expect during our sessions?
Moving Forward When You Feel Stuck
Hope, Healing, and the Possibility of Relief
Even if grief feels endless right now, it doesn’t mean you’ll feel this way forever. Healing doesn’t mean forgetting — it means learning to live with love and loss in a way that allows space for hope, connection, and meaning again.
Grief therapy can help you:
Understand what your grief needs
Build emotional resilience
Feel less alone
Create a path toward stability and meaning
You deserve support as you navigate this process.
Conclusion: You Don’t Have to Carry Grief Alone
Grief can shake your world in ways you never imagined. But with the right support, it is possible to heal, cope, and rebuild your life, even while holding space for the person you lost.
If you’re ready to speak with someone, consider connecting with a grief therapist at Edgar Psychological. You don’t have to go through this alone. Reaching out is a meaningful first step toward healing.