ABSTRACT
The chapter examines religious aspects of the resolution of parents' grief after the death of a child. The experience of solace or consolation is identified as the central religious experience in resolution. Solace is seen rooted in the internalization of the inner representation of the dead child. Examples of several kinds of solace are given. Social support is identified as the most important determinant of the quality of the resolution of grief. The interactions within a local chapter of the Compassionate Friends, a self-help group of bereaved parents, are shown to facilitate and support the experience of solace. The relationship of solace to larger issues of faith and doubt and the implications for research and action in prevention are explored.
