A broken heart is something a lot of us have experienced. Getting over it could be as simple as the cliche of eating pints of Ben and Jerry's or going on the hunt for a rebound relationship to ease the pain, but in some cases a broken heart can be serious and affect a person's entire well-being.
While many will be celebrating love on Valentine's Day, others will be dealing with the grief of a broken relationship. For some, that grief can last longer and be more intense than mourning a death, according to Carol Erb, a therapist with the Beaufort Center for Marriage.
"It's a death-like experience," Erb said. "The experience of the grief process -- be it through relationships or death -- can be very similar. Divorce is like a shipwreck, where you have to keep going back to the wreckage to figure out what to do with the pieces."
With both death and divorce, life can feel like it's falling apart. While both are tragic occurrences, a divorce or breakup can often feel like a failure. The grieving process is entangled with feelings of abandonment.
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Laura Oberle
Island Packet