5 Signs You're Dealing With Unresolved Grief

Grief is a normal, natural reaction to loss — such as the death of a loved one — and the grieving process looks different for each person going through it.

In general, though, the most intense period of grieving typically happens in the first six months after a loss and recurs throughout the first two years, said psychotherapist Andrea Dorn, noting that this timeline “can vary widely from person to person.”

And while it’s common to experience occasional, unexpected waves of grief for years or even decades after a loss, most people will notice “a gradual decline in frequency and duration of grief symptoms over time” as they work through these feelings, said Dorn, the author of “When Someone Dies: A Children’s Mindful How-To Guide on Grief and Loss.”

But sometimes, the intense period of suffering doesn’t subside. You may get stuck in your grief and feel like you can’t move forward. This is known as “unresolved grief.” In clinical terms, it may be referred to as “complicated grief” or “prolonged grief.” (A condition called “prolonged grief disorder” became an official mental health diagnosis in 2021; you can read more about the criteria on the American Psychiatric Association website.)

Unresolved grief is “a type of grief where a person continues to experience significant emotional distress, pain and sadness associated with a loss, long after the normal grieving period has passed,” said Dorn, who is also the founder of Bloom Therapy and Wellness in Columbia, South Carolina. “This can happen when someone has not had the opportunity to fully process or come to terms with their loss.”

Dorn offered an analogy that highlights the difference between “typical” grief and unresolved grief. Imagine a ship caught in a storm. Waves