ABSTRACT
People have observed a trend in recent years away from viewing the body of the person who had died. At the same time, society is claiming to be more open and honest about death. Some of the changes in traditions people are witnessing are actually creating an upsurge in complicated grief responses. The author's own clinical experience suggests that this trend away from viewing the body frequently makes for difficulty in accomplishing the work of the first reconciliation need. The first reconciliation need of the mourner is to acknowledge the reality of the death; to break through the conflicting desire to push away the encounter with the new reality. The experience of seeing and saying goodbye to the dead person as a dead person makes it possible for the bereaved to develop the image of the person as dead, different and altered from the living image. A natural ambivalence is experienced by most persons surrounding the viewing of body.
