Kübler-Ross was a psychiatrist who studied how we people deal with sorrow (after losing beloved ones, by knowing that we are ill or that we are going to die, etc.). There are five stages which people in this situation normally experience (but not obligatory):
(1) DENIAL
This is the first phase. It is filled with strong emotions and the dominant one is the shock and, after that, denying. Acknowledging tragic events and facts is very disturbing for our mind and it tries to protect itself.
(2) ANGER
Although we can be denying certain things for a long time, in the end, we realize that it won't help and things won't change. In this stage, our minds and our body respond with fury. Individuals tend to think that it is unfair that it happens to them.
(3) BARGAINING
In this phase, a person will desperately try to "negotiate" with the aim to change the outcome. We start to regret the things we did or didn't do earlier, we are ready to do anything and bear anything, just to make the things right.
(4) DEPRESSION
For the first time, we actually see the present moment and we feel all the grief we have been trying to deny or fight. A person is tired of the battle from the three previous stages and we assume our sorrow. It results in a depression, but this is a normal reaction in this kind of situation.
(5) ACCEPTANCE
Finally, after all the stages one has been through, he/she acknowledges reality. We accept the things as they are and we learn to live with them. It doesn't mean that we stop being sad, we have just passed through all the process and our life continues.
