ABSTRACT
Non-death losses—broadly construed to include the loss of health, relationship, community, career, roles, goals, and even cherished possessions—can, like the death of a key attachment figure, lead to an erosion or decimation of the life-sustaining meanings on which we rely. In this chapter we review the crucial role of meaning reconstruction in adapting to loss, as well as the evidence base supporting it. We then offer seven principles and associated practices to orient our work as psychotherapists alongside clients who strive to make sense of nonfinite loss and find new significance in its aftermath. We close with a detailed case study that illustrates these principles to bridge the gap that too often divides theory from practice.
