Losing someone close to you is always difficult, but when a loss is sudden, unexpected, or linked to traumatic circumstances, the impact can be especially overwhelming. Traumatic grief can combine the intense emotions of bereavement with symptoms commonly associated with trauma—making it harder to process, adapt, or heal in the way we might expect following a loss.
Understanding Traumatic Grief
Traumatic grief, sometimes referred to as complicated grief or prolonged grief disorder, often follows deaths that are violent, sudden or feel preventable, such as accidents, suicide, or serious illness. These types of losses can disrupt your sense of safety, meaning, and identity, and leave you stuck in a cycle of distress long after the loss occurred.
People experiencing traumatic grief may find it difficult to accept the death, re-experience aspects of the trauma, or feel disconnected from the world around them. It can feel as though life has stopped, or that moving forward would somehow dishonour the person who has died.
Signs of Traumatic Grief
While everyone grieves in their own way, traumatic grief can include:
· Persistent longing for the person who has died
· Intense emotional pain that doesn’t ease overtime
· Avoidance of reminders of the loss
· Intrusive memories or flashbacks related to the death
· Feelings of numbness, guilt, or self-blame
· Difficulty engaging in daily life or forming new relationships
· A sense that life has lost its purpose or meaning.
Working Through Traumatic Grief
Working through traumatic grief can be incredibly challenging—but you don’t have to do it alone. Therapy offers a safe and compassionate space to understand what you’re experiencing, process painful memories, and begin to rebuild life around your loss.
Dr Maria Tucknott is an experienced Clinical Psychologist and EMDR Therapist, offering tailored therapy for traumatic grief in Hertford and online. Using a range of evidence-based approaches, including EMDR Therapy and Compassion Focused Therapy (CFT), she helps clients gently explore their grief while supporting emotional healing and post-traumatic growth.
Traumatic Grief Therapy Hertfordshire
Whether your loss occurred recently or years ago, if grief is continuing to feel unmanageable or traumatic, help is available. Dr Maria Tucknott and her team understand the complexity of traumatic bereavement and provides a calm, empathetic space for healing. Contact us today to arrange a free 15-minute consultation and take the first step toward support.