Islamically Integrated Chair-Work for Bereaved Muslims

The initial focus of our therapeutic intervention is on establishing empathic attunement to aid individuals in processing the inherent pain of grief in a constructive manner. For this phase, therapists will focus solely on adhering to the relationship formation and introspective exploration. Practitioners aimed at empathetically tuning into the patient's emotional experience, validating and reassuring the patient's emotional state, and adhering to the fundamental principles of empathy, sincerity, and positive regard for establishing and upholding a strong therapeutic alliance. Also, accompanying the patients to uncover and process the natural pain to gain self-awareness about their emotions.

During this phase, bereavement person will conduct imaginal conversation with a deceased. Practitioners utilized the resolution model including 5 components: (1) emotional reaction of the bereavement (blame, hurt, regret etc.) and enactment of the deceased; (2) differentiation of the bereavement's feelings and deceased's specific negative aspects accessed; (3) intense expression of the bereavement's specific emotions; (4) expression of the bereavement's previously unmet interpersonal needs from the deceased and the deceased validates bereavement's feelings; (5) understanding and forgiveness of the deceased or shift in view of the deceased.

Cognitive consolidation and spiritually behavioral activation complement the emotional interventions implemented in earlier stages. This cognitive process aids in the transformation and integration of adaptive growth, enabling patients to assimilate the knowledge and insights acquired during therapy. Therapists take a directive and co-constructivist approach, guiding patients to discover emotionally adaptive reconciliations and meanings that challenge and reshape their emotional and cognitive frameworks in the cognitive consolidation and spiritually behavioral activation phase. Aligned with this cognitive shift, spiritual behavioral activations involve creating plans to address unmet needs.