Dr. J. William Worden is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and holds academic appointments at Harvard Medical School and at Rosemead Graduate School of Psychology at Biola University, La Mirada, CA., when asked about bereavement says:  Coming to an acceptance of the reality of the loss takes time since it involves not only an intellectual acceptance but also an emotional one.  …The bereaved person may be intellectually aware of the finality of the loss long before the emotions allow full acceptance of the information as true.  (2009)