Fostering Resilience and Meaning Reconstruction After Sudden Sibling Loss: An Integrative CBT–DBT Case Study of Adaptive Grief

Abstract

The concept of acute sorrow is gaining acceptance in positive psychology not merely as illness, but as the alteration of meaning that has the potential to lead to adaptive mourning and growth when proper measures are employed. Because grieving may appear similar to depression or trauma-related symptoms, diagnosis is difficult, and the processes designed to promote resilience may not be visible. Loss of a sibling, or familial role-related expectations and emotional repression that arise, does not yet have sufficient coverage in the literature on adaptive grieving. This study follows a female of age 25 who exhibited acute grief response due to her brother’s sudden passing. The characteristic features of acute grief were present in this case study including sadness, emotional numbness, guilt, intrusive memories, sleeping disruption, avoidance, and impairment in functioning. Additionally, family disapproval and pressure to stay strong became obstacles in adapting to loss experiences. The integrated time-limited psychotherapy represented the combination of various approaches like cognitive-behavioral therapy, dialectic behavioral therapy and grief-centered meaning making (PM), including education on grief, teaching to cope with distress, cognitive restructuring of guilt feelings and meaning making. The client showed measurable gains in emotional expression, guilt resolution, sleep, and functioning, alongside qualitative markers of resilience: restored continuing bonds, greater emotional comfort, and an integrated relationship with faith. Standardized measures indicated reduced depressive symptoms and avoidance, supporting this strengths-oriented approach as a pathway to adaptive mourning. This case illustrates how integrating CBT and DBT within a meaning-reconstruction framework can help a bereaved individual move toward resilient, adaptive grieving after sudden sibling loss, with relevance to positive psychology's interest in growth following adversity.