We think of grief as something that only happens when someone dies. But grief is the natural response to the **Death of a Narrative.**
When a relationship ends, when you lose a job, or when you realize a version of yourself is no longer attainable—that is a death. If you don't name it, you cannot mourn it. And if you cannot mourn it, you carry the weight of that unburied narrative for decades.
The loss of the "Future Story" you had planned. (e.g., "I thought we would grow old together.")
Losing the person you were *within* a certain context. (e.g., "I am no longer a 'Wife' or a 'Founder'.")
The loss of your sense of safety or the belief that the world works a certain way.
The preceding pages mapped the immediate surface. These next five questions are designed to dig past your immediate defenses and uncover the load-bearing logic of your patterns.
Do not rush them. If a question causes an immediate feeling of resistance, annoyance, or a sudden desire to "skip it"—that is the exact question where your deepest structural weakness lies. Answer clinically and honestly.