The Cocoanut Grove Fire

The Study of the Psychology of Grief

The Cocoanut Grove Nightclub

Boston College and Holy Cross

vs.

Boston Fire Department

November 28, 1942 - 10:15 pm

Floor Map of the Cocoanut Grove

The Fire and Aftermath

Massachusetts General Hospital

Dr. Lindemann & Dr. Jackson

Symptomatology and Management of Acute Grief

By Dr. Erich LindemannAmerican Journal Of Psychiatry

101, (1944), 141-148

Symptoms of Acute Grief

• Somatic distress – people just didn’t feel right.• Guilt relating to death/life circumstances.• Pre-occupation with the deceased.• Hostile reactions/anger.• Depression• Hallucinations – hearing and/or seeing the

deceased.• Inability to function as they had before the loss.

Jackson’s 5 Steps for Helping the Bereaved

• You are someone to talk to• You offer the bereaved a way to express

feelings• You offer the bereaved something to hold

onto• You give the bereaved something to do• You offer the bereaved something to believe in

Discussion Questions:• Have you ever felt uneasy in a new or unfamiliar surrounding or building?• Do you always check for alternative fire exits?• What do you think are more permanent – physical wounds or

psychological wounds?• Have you ever heard of a person’s grief driving them to take their own

life?• What is your personal evaluation of the symptoms of Acute Grief that are

presented in this program?• Have you ever experienced Acute Grief symptoms?• Discuss Dr. Jackson’s five steps for helping the bereaved. Which ones do

you think are valid and which ones are not?