RESUMO
The purpose of this investigation was to describe adult women's experiences in losing their mother. Using an interpretive phenomenological frame of inquiry, 5 women were purposively selected to share their loss experience. Memories of the mother-daughter relationship were explored, and the meanings the daughters attached to their loss described, in written narratives, 2 in-depth interviews, and 1 group session. Seven themes emerged: Recalling, Holding On, Saying Goodbye, Longings of the Heart, Shifting Patterns of Relationship, Recreating the Dialogue, and Honouring Our Mothers/Ourselves. The loss of one's mother represents the loss of one's first intimate relationship, a relationship that has a unique meaning for daughters because their personal development is profoundly and uniquely shaped by it. This potentially pervasive and transforming life experience is best understood from an in-depth exploration and understanding of the nature of the mother-daughter relationship. Nurses who come to understand the dynamic interaction of grief and development through women's experience of mother-loss can more successfully offer their presence, their understanding of the complexity of the mother-daughter relationship, and their skills in bereavement care to facilitate healing and to promote health and personal growth.
