S03.E02 Grief That Doesn't Get a Funeral

This week’s episode: Grief That Doesn’t Get a Funeral Every loss deserves to be grieved, including the ones nobody holds a service for. Dr. Flood talks about the grief that follows a pet, a miscarriage, an estrangement, or a loved one who is still living but out of reach, and shows from Scripture that God makes room for all of it. In this episode: What disenfranchised grief is, and why some losses never receive a funeral, a card, or a casserole The grief of losing a pet, and the shame that so often gets added to it Miscarriage, and the child a mother carried who no one else ever met Ambiguous loss, the grief of a parent, spouse, or adult child whose loved one is still living but out of reach The men who lost partners during the AIDS crisis and were barred from the hospital room and the funeral, and what Romans 12:15 says to anyone mourning Jesus weeping at Lazarus’s tomb, and Job’s friends in their first seven days of silence Creating your own ritual when the world offers none, and what to say to a grieving friend The Shepherd’s Toolbox (for pastors, counselors, and ministry leaders): A clinical look at Borderline Personality Disorder, the second Cluster B disorder covered in When Sheep Bite. Dr. Flood walks through the core pattern of instability and fear of abandonment, why a safety plan belongs in place before the first session, how to tell a true crisis from routine emotional intensity, and why a licensed clinician makes your ministry stronger. He also connects the disorder to ambiguous loss for the spouses and adult children grieving a relationship in real time. Next time: Histrionic Personality Disorder. Coming next week: Gossip That Wears a Prayer Request The Empty Chair: The holidays have a way of reopening every loss. Join Lance and Deanna Flood for a free eight-week online support group for anyone grieving a death, divorce, estrangement, or another loss that makes the season hard. We meet Thursday evenings from November 5 through December 24. Visit floodlegacy.org/emptychair to learn more and register. The Resilient Leader: Pastors and church leaders can learn to recognize manipulation, gaslighting, and destructive relational patterns in ministry, with practical, evidence-based strategies for healthy boundaries grounded in biblical principles. Visit floodlegacy.org/resilientleader to learn more and register for the next monthly webinar. Write to us: Have a question or a topic you’d like covered? Email [email protected]. Dr. Flood reads every message. Get the book: When Sheep Bite is available at Amazon, Books-a-Million, Walmart, and other major retailers. Order a personalized, signed copy at no extra cost at amnestymediagroup.com. Pastors, counselors, and ministry leaders can buy bulk signed copies at 10% off with free shipping at whensheepbite.com.