Continuing Bonds — What They Are
18 min
There is no "closure". There are bonds that evolve.
7 days · Continuing Bonds (Klass, Silverman & Nickman, 1996) · Neimeyer (2001)
Contemporary grief psychology has abandoned the idea that "healing" means stopping the connection with who died. Continuing bonds are adaptive — as long as they evolve rather than freeze the process.
This program is psychoeducational. If you have thoughts of not wanting to be here, call 988 (USA), 123 (Colombia) or 116 123 Samaritans (UK) right now.
Days 1-2 free · Days 3-7 with full access
Evidence base
Klass, Silverman & Nickman (1996) challenged the dominant consensus requiring "letting go" as the condition of healthy grief. Their research with bereaved parents showed that maintaining internal connection with the deceased was an active component of adaptive grief, not pathology.
References: Klass, Silverman & Nickman (1996) Continuing Bonds, Taylor & Francis · Neimeyer (2001) Meaning Reconstruction, APA · Norton & Gino (2014) J Exp Psychol Gen 143(1):266-279
Start Day 1
Days 1-2 free · No registration · Progress saved locally
If you have thoughts of not wanting to be here: 988 (USA) · 123 (Colombia) · 116 123 Samaritans (UK) — 24/7 support.