Welcome from Dr. Lotte Stein
posted by Lotte Stein | 4:57 PM
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Widowhood from Grieving to Healing
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Friday, January 06, 2006
Widowhood by Lotte Stein
WIDOWHOOD:
From Grieving to Healing
by
Lotte H. Stein
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the
California Institute of Integral Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in Humanities
With a concentration in East-West Psychology
ABSTRACT
This dissertation is a theoretical study of widowhood for older women. It is suggested that widowhood can offer a woman the opportunity for self-discovery and transformation. The “golden years” are not only a time for play, for travel, a time free from the obligations we had during our working years, but also offer us a time for introspection, a time to withdraw and to come to terms with our humanity. The loss of a husband triggers the memory of prior losses, and the sadness that lies heavily upon the widow must be respected.
In our society, the widow is encouraged to grieve for her husband and to experience her feelings; however, she is to do so in a nice and clean way. Our society frowns upon overt expression of emotions. Early on in childhood, we learn to be brave and strong and bear our pain alone. We expose only a happy face to the world and hide our sadness. This dissertation will show that we are likely to hide old wounds and repress feelings that need release if we are to be the authentic individuals we are meant to be by nature. Instead of treating our wounds it is important to retreat into them, so that we can listen to the suffering of our souls and pay attention to the needs of our spirits.
Old age can be a special gift of time for the widow to discover potential she never thought she had. Widowhood need not only be a negative time; it can also be a positive, exciting and interesting experience for the older woman as she embarks upon a journey of self-discovery and transformation.
From Grieving to Healing
by
Lotte H. Stein
A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of the
California Institute of Integral Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of
Doctor of Philosophy in Humanities
With a concentration in East-West Psychology
ABSTRACT
This dissertation is a theoretical study of widowhood for older women. It is suggested that widowhood can offer a woman the opportunity for self-discovery and transformation. The “golden years” are not only a time for play, for travel, a time free from the obligations we had during our working years, but also offer us a time for introspection, a time to withdraw and to come to terms with our humanity. The loss of a husband triggers the memory of prior losses, and the sadness that lies heavily upon the widow must be respected.
In our society, the widow is encouraged to grieve for her husband and to experience her feelings; however, she is to do so in a nice and clean way. Our society frowns upon overt expression of emotions. Early on in childhood, we learn to be brave and strong and bear our pain alone. We expose only a happy face to the world and hide our sadness. This dissertation will show that we are likely to hide old wounds and repress feelings that need release if we are to be the authentic individuals we are meant to be by nature. Instead of treating our wounds it is important to retreat into them, so that we can listen to the suffering of our souls and pay attention to the needs of our spirits.
Old age can be a special gift of time for the widow to discover potential she never thought she had. Widowhood need not only be a negative time; it can also be a positive, exciting and interesting experience for the older woman as she embarks upon a journey of self-discovery and transformation.
posted by Lotte Stein | 3:18 PM
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