Abstract

Death is an inevitable aspect of human existence, and rituals play a crucial role in supporting individuals as they navigate the complexities of grief. Grief often leaves individuals feeling powerless and destabilised; engaging in rituals offers a means of actively participating in mourning, promoting a sense of structure and purpose. Tradition is at the core of rituals, which provides symbolic meaning and helps individuals contextualise their experiences of loss.

This thesis examines the lived experiences of ten individuals from the Northwest of England who were denied access to traditional rituals surrounding death during the Covid-19 pandemic. Rituals, understood as recurring social practices imbued with symbolic significance and enacted in specific settings, provide a framework for processing grief. By exploring the narratives of these participants, this research sought to understand the emotional and psychological impact of being deprived of familiar mourning practices.

Utilising Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), in-depth interviews were conducted with participants who experienced the death of a significant person between March 2020 and March 2021. The participants reported at least one of the following disruptions: being absent from the dying individual, an inability to say goodbye and/or view the body, restrictions on funeral attendance or guest numbers, and limitations on communal grieving with family and friends. The analysis revealed five Group Experiential Themes: Farewells Unresolved: Navigating the Complexity of Goodbye; Eternal Embrace: A Lifetime Condensed into a Day of Farewell; Remembering, Reflecting, and Celebrating Lives; Beyond Goodbye: Nurturing a Continuing Relationship with the Deceased; Restrictions and Relationships.

These findings show what ritual absence means for individuals who have experienced the death of a loved one and give us a better understanding of the existential and psychological challenges they face. The study contributes to knowledge in two key ways: it enhances understanding of the significance of rituals in bereavement and serves to highlight the potential complications that arise when these rituals are absent due to external constraints, such as those faced during the pandemic. These findings have implications for professionals working with the bereaved, enabling them to provide informed support to clients experiencing disruption to traditional mourning practices.