So, how (if at all) does someone like Ms. Badger climb out from such an abyss? And is it even possible for life to normally unfold after such a horror? As Dr. Rosa Lavergne, Ph.D explains, “My experience working with persons who endure this magnitude of tragedy is that it changes them forever. Life as the person knew it no longer exists. The individual is ‘altered’ and must create what is called a ‘new normal.’ Parents who lose a child, report that the death of a child is the most painful compared to losing any other family member. So, the person does not overcome the traumatic-grief; but they instead accommodate their life to cope with the loss and emptiness that follows such a tragedy. This type of healing process can take years.”
