64 pagesThis research paper will explain the experience of Ambiguous Loss, a loss that
is constructed by both the absence and presence of an individual, and then introduce an
effective and impactful healing modality. This project intends to portray the difficulties
surrounding losing someone ambiguously and the necessity to hold two seemingly
incompatible realities - absence and presence - at the same time. The steps recognized
in the healing of grief from loss and death, which is commonly experienced and
understood in our world today, will be used to carefully distinguish how the experience
of Ambiguous Loss is uniquely different. From the perspective of the person who is
experiencing the loss, this paper will explore and substantiate the emotional complexity
and state of inconclusiveness and confusion resulting from Ambiguous Loss.
This paper will also present wilderness therapy as a promising modality that
may uniquely support a process of acceptance and integration that is well-tailored for
Ambiguous Loss. Wilderness therapy, and the impact of the raw natural setting, may
be an instrumental modality for helping individuals process the unique grief that arises
from Ambiguous Loss due to the expansive and complex nature of both this form of
loss and the natural environment. Wilderness therapy may provide individuals a
concrete, real-life surmountable challenge that creates a tangible rather than conceptual
experience, beautifully countering the disorienting experience of Ambiguous Loss
itself
