Whether to allow the body of the deceased to be present and available for public viewing is often one of the hardest questions that bereaved families may face. The issue becomes further complicated when some people find it helpful to see a body while others find the idea to be horrifying. Nevertheless, viewing has a great deal of importance and outweighs the negative fear of seeing a corpse. Read on for more insight.

What is viewing?

Viewing means the coffin,or a section of the coffin lid is opened, allowing mourners the chance to have one final look at the deceased. This often happens during a funeral service or privately in the home of the deceased.

Psychological benefit

One of the most agonizing types of death is when a person dies suddenly and the family is neither able to retrieve nor view the body. Many people have succumbed in plane crashes, terrorist attacks and wars. In such cases, the families have no mortal remains to confirm the death, yet they many cling desperately to the optimism that such remains will eventually be discovered. In other words, they are unable to fully believe the loss since there's no proof of the body. This psychological anguish may go on for several years. This experience is quite similar to those who have not had the chance to see the body of the deceased for the last time. Therefore, viewing is quite crucial because it allows the mourners to shift towards a step of closure and approval concerning the finality of the departed soul.

Furthermore, families and friends today are scattered in different parts of the country and across the globe. They see one another far less often and many times rely on weddings or funerals to congregate together. Consequently, it may have been quite a long time since the relatives and mourners saw the departed one, and viewing the corpse may be an element in their acceptance that the individual has indeed passed on and they can start to recover from the grief.

The funeral director

Viewing brings into sharp focus the expertise of your funeral director in terms of how well they prepared the corpse. If the deceased was involved in a mishap, the funeral director should be able to restore the body and make viewing a reality. In most cases, it is prudent to have a family member see the body before everybody else and resolve whether or not any extra work is needed by the funeral director.

For more information, talk with your funeral director or local funeral homes, such as Tony Hollands Funerals.