Stages Of Grief In Emily Dickinson's After Great Pain

Pain is felt and dealt with in so many ways. Some are able to move on immediately, some ignore it, and some let the pain win all together. However, what all people have in common is that at some point they have all experienced a painful event and have traveled through the six stages of grief in order to move on. In Emily Dickinson’s poem “After great pain, a formal feeling comes-” she simplifies the six stages into just three, “First-Chill-then Stupor-then the letting go- “. These stages are essential for anyone to overcome pain. First and foremost, when something terrible is revealed to a person their body naturally shuts down in shock or disbelief. Dickinson referrers to this function as the chill stage of grieving. During this stage, the body protects itself instantly freezing, while allowing the mind to process the information given in order to deal with this pain. For instance, a few years ago, my aunt was diagnosed with breast cancer. Obviously, when I was told this news my whole world stopped. I could feel all my nerves freeze and every inch of me was stunned. Even though the moment was easily the worst moment of my life, I felt rather
This stage is by far the most important because in order to move on, a person must learn to let go of what is holding them down. I was not able to let go of all the anger and fear that was inflicting pain on me until I saw my aunt after her last surgery. It was at that moment that I realized she would be okay and I was finally able to breath again. When a person lets go of the pain holding them down they open themselves up to a world of opportunities. On the other hand, if the pain is not dealt with properly it could be deadly. In not letting go, the person will never be able to prosper or even continue living an active life. In reality, this is the sink or swim phase, where some will make it out alive and others will go with the current until they