S2 E9 Understanding Berievement and Grief
Life Talk with Bern Moses
Following last week’s introduction to bereavement, Bern Moses explains “bottlenecks” that trap people after losses or recognized lacks: denial, anger, guilt, bargaining, and transference. He illustrates denial through perceptions of movement in a corpse and hallucinated sightings, arguing that confrontation ends denial. He describes anger toward the dead or God, guilt as anger turned inward, and irrational bargaining. Transference can shift roles onto survivors, even fueling incest dynamics. Moses distinguishes bereavement (a fear-based state) from grief (a love-based action) and outlines healthy grief stages: wailing, convulsions, keening, sobbing, crying, weeping, storytelling, and laughter. A case study shows that releasing grief restores momentum.






