On Being (onbeing.org) is a public radio show that “opens up the animating questions at the center of human life.” The host is Krista Tippett. Last summer, Ms. Tippett interviewed family therapist Pauline Boss. The “animating question” must’ve been about ambiguous loss or grief. Dr. Boss is an expert is “ambiguous loss.” Her books include “Loss, Trauma, and Resilience,” “Loving Someone Who Has Dementia,” and “Ambiguous Loss.”
Here’s a description of the interview:
“There is no such thing as closure. Family therapist Pauline Boss says that the idea of closure in fact leads us astray — it’s a myth we need to put aside, like the idea we’ve accepted that grief has five linear stages and we come out the other side done with it. She coined the term ‘ambiguous loss,’ creating a new field in family therapy and psychology. And she has wisdom for the complicated griefs and losses in all of our lives and in how we best approach the losses of others — including those very much in our public midst right now.”
You can listen to the 50-minute conversation here:
The Myth of Closure: Interview with Pauline Boss
On Being
by Krista Tippet, host
June 23, 2016
www.onbeing.org/programs/pauline-boss-the-myth-of-closure/
Brain Support Network volunteer Denise Dagan listened to the full recording and said this:
“This is a really lovely 50-minute interview with Dr. Pauline Boss, Professor Emeritus at the University of Minnesota. It is apropos for everyone, but particularly for those of us living with long-term-illness, especially when dementia is a factor.”
For those who would like a faster approach, the transcript is at the link above.
Robin