As a counselor, I have had the privilege of witnessing unexpressed grief, unresolved grief, good grief, bad grief, ancient grief, and grief from loss, neglect, abuse, even past life grief.
I’ve heard nearly every kind of grief available to humans during my time spent in the consulting room, or listening to friends and family process or avoid their grief.
Now there is a new kind of grief emerging in cyberspace, Digital Grief…yes, more people are experiencing painful loss and feelings of grief from cyber-based relationships. In many cases, the people never met face to face. In some instances, they met in a video game and developed a second life together, with emotional, spiritual and financial ties. Some people have lost large amounts of money in gaming groups where fees are won or lost in virtual contests. These financial losses were equally painful and real.
As professional counselors and coaches, we need to be ready for this new kind of grief. It’s real, it’s fraught with complex emotions and we need to acknowledge these losses as equal to flesh and blood level losses.
Here’s an insightful article on Digital Grief, entitled “Your immortal cybersoul,” by Rob Walker. Walker offers some new practical ways to work through the cyber landscape to better manage your digital self.
What legacy are you leaving on the internet? Do you want someone to have access to all of your passwords and maintain your accounts indefinitely? Would that make you feel immortal? There are now ways to do this. More will be revealed….
© Copyright 2011 by Lisa Wessan. All rights reserved.
The Lighter Side of Transformation 