The loss of place, belonging, and continuity Displacement grief arises when a person is separated from where they belong—their home, land, culture, community, or sense of rootedness. Unlike a single, visible death, displacement is a layered loss: of safety, familiarity, identity, and future orientation. It can occur through war, migration, eviction, colonialism, climate disaster, gentrification, institutionalization, incarceration, foster care, hospitalization, or professiona

Applying a mourning framework to the loss of place, home, and belonging Displacement is not a single loss—it is a compound grief that touches identity, safety, continuity, and future. Applying the 6 Needs of Mourning helps make visible what is often silenced or misnamed as “adjustment” or “transition.” Below, each need is translated specifically for displacement grief—what it asks of the mourner, how it commonly gets blocked, and what support looks like in practice. Acknowled

Below is a clinical–narrative exploration of the grief experienced by a service member whose career ends prematurely through a dishonourable discharge, particularly when the departure is unwanted, contested, or perceived as unjust. This framing treats the event not as a single loss, but as a cascade of deaths—identity, meaning, belonging, future-self—occurring simultaneously. The Death of a Chosen Identity For many service members, the role is not a job—it is a chosen self. S