Meaning-making and rituals in persistent and traumatic grief

Since 2023, with the publication of the DSM-5-TR, complicated grief has become a formal diagnosis under the name persistent grief disorder (PRS). Geert Smid and Joanna Wojtkowiak have developed an e-learning course for professionals on the role of meaning-making and rituals in the treatment of persistent and traumatic grief.

The loss of loved ones confronts bereaved people with fundamental questions about the meaning of life. Meaning-making can contribute to experiences such as coherence, connectedness and transcendence. Rituals and symbolic expressions of grief can support meaning-making following a loss.

Psychiatrist Geert Smid works for Arq, centre of expertise in psychotrauma and, since 2019, has been endowed professor of Psychotrauma, Loss and Bereavement at the University of Humanistic Studies. Through this professorship, he aims to contribute to an integrated care pathway for traumatic bereavement. Information, prevention, diagnosis, support and treatment must become more accessible to those left behind following a traumatic loss. His inaugural lecture provides a comprehensive overview of the many factors that influence the significance of the loss and the bereavement experienced by the bereaved.

Joanna Wojtkowiak has a background in cultural psychology (MSc) and a PhD in Religious Studies (both obtained at Radboud University Nijmegen). Her research focuses on ritual innovation, the creation of meaning, life transitions (such as birth and death) and pastoral/spiritual care from interdisciplinary perspectives, including religious studies, cultural psychology, anthropology and philosophy. She co-developed the one-year postgraduate Celebrant Training Programme and is currently director of the Bachelor’s programme in Humanistics.