Life Review Therapy: Finding Meaning in Your Full Story

Life review therapy is a structured therapeutic approach, originally developed for older adults, in which a person systematically revisits and evaluates their life experiences to achieve a sense of coherence, integrity, and meaning, particularly in the face of loss or mortality. The process involves recalling personal history, reconciling regrets, and recognizing the through-lines that give a life its unique shape and value.

This framework is especially powerful in grief work because it helps mourners locate their lost loved one within a larger, meaningful narrative rather than defining that person solely by their absence. AI tools excel here by acting as a patient, tireless interviewer that can help users excavate memories, organize them into coherent story arcs, and create legacy documents that honor both the person lost and the life that continues.