The Restorative Nature of Ongoing Connections with the Deceased

Laurie A. Burke, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist who specializes in traumatic loss, complicated grief, and spiritual crisis following loss. She developed the Inventory of Complicated Spiritual Grief 2.0. Edward (Ted) Rynearson, MD, is a clinical psychiatrist and researcher in Seattle, Washington, and author of two books, Retelling Violent Death and Violent Death: Resilience and Intervention Beyond the Crisis.

Section I: Faith Tradition Perspectives 1. Faith Traditions: A Historical and Contemporary Framework 2. Buddhist and Attachment Perspectives on the End of Life 3. A Shamanic Experience of Restoration: Journeying, Ritual, and Ceremony 4. A Christian Way of Making Sense of Life and Death 5. Forming Paths of Continuing Connection from a Jewish Perspective 6. Connecting through the Heart with the Deceased: A Muslim View 7. Eternal Bond with the Deceased: A Hindu Perspective Section II: Clinical Implications 8. Restorative Internalization 9. From Retelling to Reintegration: Narrative Fixation and the Reconstruction of Meaning 10. Grieving in the Wind Telephone Booth 11. Limitations of Traumatic Grief Therapy: The Palliative Embrace of a Homicidal Dying Section III: Research Considerations 12. Sensory and Quasi-Sensory Experiences of the Deceased in Bereavement: An Overview of the Literature 13. Internet Resources for the Bereaved: Facebook’s Influence on the Grieving Process 14. Complicated Spiritual Grief: Wrestling with Faith in the Wake of Loss 15. Psychic Mediums for the Bereaved: Exploring Their Procedures and Contemplating the Use of Their Services Section IV: Existential Experiences 16. Restorative Connection with the Deceased: A Panel Interview with Grievers 17. To Seek or Not Seek Contact with the Deceased Through a Medium: A Panel Interview with Grievers 18. Presence within Absence: Summary Discussion