What is Shadowloss™?

Shadowloss is a loss IN life, not a loss OF life.

Shadowloss is a psychological tool developed by American thanatologist, Cole Imperi. It is a type of loss that has a multi-faceted impact on not only the life of an individual, but also the social network in that person’s life. Shadowlosses may or may not be associated with a death and are most often not. Shadowlosses impact a person’s social connections, status in the community, overall well-being and family relationships. Shadowloss is a non-clinical term–it is not a diagnostic tool. Instead, Shadowloss is a term an individual may choose to use to better describe the impact of a particular loss experience.

What are some examples of Shadowloss?

Examples of Shadowloss include but are not limited to:

  • divorce

  • bankruptcy

  • infertility

  • a global pandemic

  • getting fired unexpectedly

  • a significant medical diagnosis

  • estrangement

  • leaving a religious community

  • getting ghosted

Watch Cole’s TedX talk on Shadowloss

Cole Imperi will explain the concept of Shadowloss: A Shadowloss is a loss IN life, not OF life. In addition, her talk will further explain how people grief the loss of connection, relationships, friendships etc, in a similar way as a big death such as losing a person, animal, etc, in real life.

 

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