Dr. Kuhu Roy writes,
"Do
you have an in-house therapist?"
During the one to one grief support sessions, I always ask the
bereaved this one question. Their faces have a puzzled look and it breaks into
a smile the moment I reframe and ask,
"Do you have another companion animal at home or one on the
streets?"
We almost always discount the role a companion animal plays during
bereavement. We think it is we only who grieve. But they do too. Just that
their means and methods are not so visible like ours. Some try to mimic the
departed soul to not make us feel the void, some try to instigate play to
divert our attention and some take full blown hits. The golden rule during
bereavement, whether a human or a non human, is to not judge, rather use the
grieving period to strengthen the existing bond.
There is no better therapist than a companion animal. Yet, should
you be looking for a human one, for companion animal (homed or un-homed) loss
grief support, visit https://forms.gle/
All grief support services are no fee in honour of Butter, the
rescued dog.
Make
sure to enroll in the first ongoing companion animal loss study in India, visit https://forms.gle/
