Dr Anita Rose, a consultant clinical neuropsychologist at Cognivate Rehab, tells NR Times about the power of the lament and finding light through vulnerability.
In the neuro-rehab field, the journey of recovery often involves grappling with deep emotional pain.
That can be in the form of trauma from road traffic accidents, strokes, or life- altering diagnoses like multiple sclerosis or early-onset dementia.
Dr Anita Rose (pictured), a consultant clinical neuropsychologist at Cognivate Rehab, has found that embracing vulnerability can play a crucial role in this healing process.
“Vulnerability is defined very much as uncertainty,” Dr Rose explains. “It’s about risk and emotional exposure.”
But she adds: “When we’re most vulnerable, if we’re in touch with our emotions, or can express our emotions in whatever way that may mean, we can grow as people.”
An expression of grief
For Dr Rose, helping patients express their emotions can be the key to their recovery.
One approach she uses, especially with those who struggle to articulate their feelings, is the concept of lament – a structured, creative expression of grief and suffering.
While lament is often associated with religious contexts, Dr Rose argues it has broader relevance.
“Shakespeare wrote quite mournful sonnets that we could argue are laments because they are expressing emotion, they’re expressing fears,” she says.
Dr Rose recalls the case of a patient who took up painting during their recovery.
Initially, their work was very dark, but as they began to work through their emotions using the structured process of lament, their paintings slowly shifted. Though the darkness remained, glimmers of light and hope began to emerge in his work.
They went on to display their work in a gallery of paintings by people who had experienced brain injuries. Dr Rose explains that it was his way of processing grief and of moving from despair to hope.
The stages of lament
Patients pass through several stages during the process of lament, beginning with a cry for help.
From there they identify their emotions – fear, anger, frustration – before considering external factors, such as societal stigma or feelings of injustice.
Dr Rose encourages patients to acknowledge their upset at the world, their condition, or even their own bodies, as part of this process.
The next stage is identifying a source of trust or affirmation, which can come from an external person or group, or from within.
For one of Dr Rose’s patients, this was the healthcare team supporting her through a traumatic brain injury.
From here, patients move towards identifying what they need – whether it’s a greater sense of control, help with mobility, or emotional support.
As they articulate their needs, they begin to see a path forward, a way to regain some of the control that trauma has taken from them, Dr Rose explains.
The final stage of lament, Dr Rose notes, is often an expression of gratitude or praise in recognition of the positive aspects that have emerged from the process.
A tool for rebuilding
Through lament, patients are able to transform their grief into something tangible, whether that is in the form of poetry, painting or storytelling.
Dr Rose believes that this structured approach allows patients to move from darkness toward light.
“You know – ‘I’ve had all this horridness in my life, but actually, maybe there’s a way of birthing something going forward’,” she says.
Dr Rose’s work highlights the power of creative expression in neuro-rehab.
By guiding patients through a structured process of lament, she offers them a way to confront their pain, understand it, and ultimately, find hope beyond it.
In doing so, lament becomes more than just an expression of grief – it becomes a tool for rebuilding lives.
