It is becoming more common for people who are well into their fifties, sixties and beyond to seek out psychotherapy, even if conventional wisdom holds that their “busiest” years may be behind them. The struggles of later ages can be somewhat quieter, of course, but they are no less powerful.
One of the most common surrounds the notion of death, both as a real event and as a source of anxiety. As we age, of course, we are more likely to lose friends and loved ones, while racing inexorably toward our own sunsets. All this can take a toll, as one therapist describes:
“Part of it is existential. Most of us have had death anxiety as children, but it resurfaces when we are less distant from death.” . . .
One woman told the group of a particularly fun evening she’d had. But then when she went back to the home she’d shared with her husband and dog, who had both died, she felt the contrast even more sharply.
Getting into a good psychotherapy for grief and personal loss is one of the best ways to make sense of a loss, and to distill the elements within that grief which can be relieved and better directed over time. If you or someone you love is wrestling with the shattering effects of a personal loss at any age, please contact my Philadelphia psychotherapy practice today.
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