How long does grief last?

The cultural expectation that grief should resolve within a year is not supported by the research or by the testimony of those who have mourned deeply. For major losses, grief does not end; it changes — it becomes integrated into the self rather than filling the center of the self, and it softens without disappearing. This domain examines honestly what the research says about grief's timeline, what factors influence it, and what the end of acute grief actually means.