Mother-Loss: Recreating Relationship and Meaning

Abstract

The purpose of this investigation was to describe adult women's experiences in losing their mother. Using an interpretive phenomenological frame of inquiry, 5 women were purposively selected to share their loss experience. Memories of the mother-daughter relationship were explored, and the meanings the daughters attached to their loss described, in written narratives, 2 in-depth interviews, and 1 group session. Seven themes emerged: Recalling, Holding On, Saying Goodbye, Longings of the Heart, Shifting Patterns of Relationship, Recreating the Dialogue, and Honouring Our Mothers/Ourselves. The loss of one's mother represents the loss of one's first intimate relationship, a relationship that has a unique meaning for daughters because their personal development is profoundly and