Table 2.

Writing assignments

Writing assignment	In patients who …	Description
Ongoing farewell letter	Have difficulty allowing feelings of sadness	A letter to the deceased in which the patient writes what he has always wanted to say to the deceased, what he misses most, expressing his longing for the deceased
Three letters task	Are very ambivalent about the deceased	In a first letter, negative feelings toward the deceased are verbalized (anger, discontent); in a second letter, positive feelings are expressed(love, things that are missed); in a third and final letter positive and negative feelings are integrated
Letter to an imaginative companion in misfortune	Have strong maladaptive cognitions	A letter to a non-existing person who has been through exactly the same loss, trying to help this imaginary companion to re-evaluate maladaptive cognitions about the loss
Angry letter	Have difficulty dealing with feelings of anger	A letter to a perpetrator of murder, negligent bystanders, government, or other agency that is held responsible, in which uncensored anger, including insults and diatribes can be expressed. The letter is not sent. Sometimes, burning the angry letter is part of the farewell ritual.