When her mother dies: an adult daughter's depth perspective

Canterna Douglass, M. E. (1997). When her mother dies: an adult daughter's depth perspective (Doctoral dissertation, Pacifica Graduate Institute, 1997). UMI no. 9837029

This is a theoretical dissertation using hermeneutic and heuristic methodology to explore Motherloss within the archetypal construct of the Motherline. The Motherline is a perspective of female lineage that transcends the finality of death and offers women the felt sense of continuity and interrelatedness with all of life. From the Motherline perspective, how a daughter experiences the loss of her mother is important, for contained within the mystery of her mother's death are the seeds of meaning for the renewal of her life.
A depth perspective on this topic encompasses a multidimensional view of Motherloss that deepens traditional approaches by incorporating archetypal psychology, dreamwork, archeology, symbolism, creative imagination, mythology, creative arts, and ancient wisdom.
Traditional psychology and the scientific attitude offer women few resources for understanding the depth and breadth of their experience. Exploring woman's biological, psychological, and soulful movement through this significant life transition offers a feminine perspective on the process of grief and healing that is deeply rooted in the feminine nature of the organic and regenerative processes of life.
Death is an issue of soul. It is not a problem to be understood and resolved, but rather a mystery to be experienced. It is not an end, but rather an integral aspect of the Life/Death/Rebirth cycle. The continuity of the life force flowing through the Motherline transcends the limitations of human rationale and serves the basic fabric of matriarchal consciousness. To face death and have a soulful relationship to the experience of Motherloss, one must have access to this feminine consciousness, a dimension of reality deeply forgotten and lost in modern western culture.