TOGETHER IN SPIRIT: KEEPING OUR RELATIONSHIPS ALIVE WHEN LOVED ONES DIE

The premise of this article is that it can be adaptive to maintain bonds with loved ones who have died . The article describes 5 useful strategies for connecting with the deceased , which include recognizing the ways in which the deceased leave an imprint upon our lives , deriving a sense of meaning from the deceased's life , using objects that symbolically link us to persons who have died , identifying ceremonial opportunities for including the deceased in our lives , and reviewing the deceased's life story . Following discussion of these strategies , implications for counseling and outreach are briefly addressed . Finally , discussion focuses on how acknowledging our bonds with the deceased has the potential to aid us in confronting our own mortality .