NPR

Psychologist On Why Funerals Are Fundamental To Processing Grief

People being unable to gather or see the bodies of people who died of COVID-19 is having profound psychological effects that will last for years, says psychologist Christy Denckla of Harvard.
Psychologist Christy Denckla says funerals and related rituals are "fundamental to how we mourn, to how we grieve, to how we reinforce social ties."

As the U.S. marks 300,000 dead, it's impossible to capture the grief families around the country are experiencing.

Each person who dies of COVID-19 has a story. But many of those left behind no longer have access to the traditional ways of remembering the dead. Funerals are often happening over Zoom or as stripped-down, socially distant affairs.

Hugs aren't safe anymore.

The lack of coming together

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