Sharing in the community of having lost a child.

Abstract

What does it mean to share an experience of losing a child? Not solely to put such an experience into words, but also to speak of it to others who may share their own experiences of loss? What is shared in such moments of sharing? Here, we present a phenomenological study of sharing among parents who have lost a child. We draw on observations and anecdotes from a parental bereavement group. Our thoughts are organised around thematic statements that reflect the value of these sharing spaces for bereaved parents: sharing as an experience of sharing something, sharing as an experience of a communal connection, sharing as an experience of empathic reflection and sharing as an experience of shared responsibility. By articulating these aspects, we hope not to prove the value of sharing but instead to show the meaningfulness of it; thereby, contributing to the very sparse body of evidence on home-based care and support for bereaved families. Exploring the phenomenology of sharing the loss of a child discloses empathic communal shared spaces among bereaving parents that may be inherent to palliative care practices.