There's a related concept here which may prove useful -- it's called "Ambiguous Loss." Unresolved grief -- or grief which cannot easily be brought to closure, is often associated with ambiguous loss.

Ambiguous loss includes a wide range of situations in which an incomplete or uncertain loss has the effect of freezing the grief process and thereby preventing its completion. Families of soldiers missing in action know ambiguous loss all too well. The uncertainty inherent in such situations can lead to considerable distress and impede the recovery process.

Copyright 2000