ABSTRACT
One of the dangers in the development and popularization of death studies is the possibility that we can become so analytical about dying and death that it becomes trivialized. Any effort emphasizing the theme of suffering brings us a glaring reminder that as we study dying or bereavement, we are really studying pain. Joseph Bess once wrote a brief two page paper in a volume entitled Death and Bereavement (1969). His article, simply entitled “Grief Is,” was a listing of over 300 descriptors concluding that sentence. His listing included terms such as “obsessive, agonizing, overwhelming, and so forth.” It too is a reminder that suffering is a holistic concept that includes pain on all levels—emotional, social, psychological, and physical.
