The losses experienced by adoptees are a type of experience called “ambiguous loss.” This is thought to be the most difficult type of loss because there is no finality, closure or obvious path to resolution, and society does not have rituals or ways to acknowledge the person who is grieving an ambiguous loss. Adopted people must learn to live with their losses, often by finding a way to make sense out of the ambiguity, since the grief itself cannot be resolved. Fortunately, there are orientations to ambiguous loss that can help an adopted person build resilience and a strong identity, and even find meaning and hope.