This is a common defense mechanism and helps numb you to the intensity of the situation.Īs you move out of the denial stage, however, the emotions you’ve been hiding will begin to rise.
It’s not unusual to respond to the strong and often sudden feelings by pretending the loss or change isn’t happening.ĭenying it gives you time to more gradually absorb the news and begin to process it. While it was originally devised for people who were ill, these stages of grief have been adapted for other experiences with loss, too.Īccording to Kübler-Ross, the five stages of grief are: Her theory of grief became known as the Kübler-Ross model. Kübler-Ross’s five stages were originally devised for people who were ill but have been adapted for coping with grief.
