Re-Storying My Experiences of Grief: An Autoethnography
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Authors
Hoshino, Karen
Issue Date
2016-11-30
Type
Thesis
Language
en
Keywords
grief , autoethnography , narrative therapy , definitional ceremony , bereavement , nature therapy , relational identity
Alternative Title
Abstract
Grief is often misunderstood and feared in Western society, leading to the disenfranchisement, isolation, and marginalisation of the bereaved, their families, and communities. In this thesis, I use the autoethnographic method to explore how my own grieving process after the death of my sister by suicide has been shaped by dominant discourse. I explore how connecting with Nature and Her metaphors can create a sense of belonging, interdependence, and healing. Moreover, I engage with contemporary grief theories and models to explore how our society's focus on the individual and the need to "move on" after a loved one's death can create a sense of alienation and disempowerment, and how we can resist such oppression. I turn to other cultures and nations to find lessons in how to grieve in a more relational, communal manner through ritual and ceremony. I then share my interactions with such narrative practices as "remembering conversations" and "definitional ceremony" to propose a structure and method of inquiry to facilitate a re-storying of a griever's relationship with their deceased loved one. This privileging of the deceased's voice in the bereaved's life and introducing them to members of their "club of life" can lead to a renewed sense of agency, relational identity, and transformation for both the teller and the listener.
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Citation
Publisher
License
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States
openAccess
openAccess