New Delhi, July 1 -- In the last two weeks, both friends and clients have talked about the Ahmedabad plane crash of 12 June. They tell me how the crash evoked grief; they can't stop crying and it has evoked anxiety and fear about the fragility of life. Some clients say they are struggling with sleep, and others have had panic attacks as they saw images on social media about the lives lost.

What many of us are experiencing is vicarious grief. Our sense of empathy, compassion and capacity to feel for others is what makes us human. As a result, vicarious grief is something we experience when we witness or hear of losses that others have gone through. Watching images of the crash or reading personal stories of those who died is a reminder of...