The intense sadness that follows a substantial loss, known as grief, is something each of us will experience. We cannot maintain long-term, intimate involvements with other mortal beings without at some point losing loved ones to death. But grief isn’t only about mortality. You’re likely to experience grief in response to any type of major loss. This may include parental (or personal) divorce, physical disability due to injury, romantic relationship breakup, loss of a much-loved job, or even the destruction or misplacing of a valued object such as an engagement ring or treasured family heirloom.

Managing grief is enormously and uniquely taxing. Unlike other negative emotions such as anger, which is typically triggered by a onetime, short-lived event, grief stays with us for a long time—triggered repeatedly by experiences linked with the loss.