Four Stages of Grief and Variants of Pathological Mourning and Considering the Four Stages and Variants in the Context of Addiction and Recovery

This chapter walks the reader through the four stages of grief and variants of pathological mourning. Additional perspectives on what constitutes healthy and pathological mourning are also included. The latter half of the chapter applies these stages and variants to the realms of addiction, treatment, and recovery. The author offers practical suggestions to counselors to help in the translation of this theory into practice and offers example statements, metaphors, and conversation starters to engage clients around these topics.