When the Healer Mourns: Physician Grief After a Patient’s Death
Physician grief following patient death represents more than a psychological phenomenon—it constitutes a fundamental theological crisis that challenges the very foundations of healing practice. Drawing from post-Holocaust theology and embodied spirituality, this analysis reframes physician grief as a sacred encounter with divine absence that paradoxically enables unprecedented human responsibility for healing.
This discursive exploration synthesizes psychological scholarship on physician grief with theological insights from Jewish mysticism, particularly the concepts of tzimtzum (divine contraction), shevirat ha-kelim (breaking of vessels), and tikkun olam (world repair). The analysis integrates attachment theory with embodied theology to develop a comprehensive framework for understanding physician grief as both occupational exposure and sacred vocation.