Emotional pain and suffering, at some point in our lives we all face it. It appears to be an inevitable part of living. There are many books written by many authors on the subject and many are well worth reading. However, the reading does not take away the pain and suffering. It may help us to find ways to deal with it, but we are left with the emotional burden. I once heard a quote, “pain it the quickest way to god” It doesn’t specify which god any culture in particular so it’s fairly generic, any pain, any god. My point in all this is that if we are unable to deal with our pain and suffering we may be trapped in any one of the defined stages of grieving, denial/ isolation, anger, bargaining, depression, and fail to move forward in living. Talking with others who care about you may help immensely so that would be the first step. For those caregivers, being a good listener is at the heart of healing. If you are not able to take this step, you may want to see a counsellor. Many of us in the counselling profession are able to help the grieving individual find a perspective that helps the process along.