| This qualitative research study was designed to identify and elucidate the nature of transformative events experienced by participants that occurred during the process of their loved ones' dying and death. With the majority of research focused on problems associated with grief such as factors contributing to complicated grief, the lived transformative aspects of normal grief have remained unexplored. This study examined the narratives of eight Canadian white female research participants, ranging in age from 40 to 91 years, each of whom had experienced one or more transformative events as they accompanied a loved one on the aforementioned journey.;Using Giorgi's (1985) phenomenological method, the researcher analyzed participants' interviews and found nine major themes endorsed by all interviewees, with three themes specific to the transformative experience. All participants described the transformative experience as (1) a shock, unexpected, arriving unbidden, and by definition, (2) forcing change upon the individual. It also led the survivor to conclude that having gone through this experience, (3) she is a stronger or better person. Such events seem to arise in the context of the rupture in the attachment bond between the survivor and their loved one. In this study cohort the common points of intersection and strikingly similar pattern of transformative experiences is noteworthy.;These findings directly impact the field of clinical psychology as well as being useful to clinicians, especially depth psychotherapists. Given that death is a basic archetype it is possible that transformative events are products of the unconscious that arise in order to guide us through a very difficult journey. From a therapist point of view such moments can potentially serve as a guide in the therapeutic process, a source of strength the client can draw upon, a source of information for both therapist and client, and as a source of encouragement.;These results also "open the door" to further research such as the investigation of experiences of individuals living in different cultures.;Key Words: attachment, mourning, death, transformative experience, grief, loss. |
