Final answer:
The blank in the question can be filled with 'anticipatory grief,' which reflects the process of beginning to grieve before the actual loss, as evidenced by Heather's father expressing love and gratitude to family members as he anticipated his impending death.
Step-by-step explanation:
The passage refers to Heather's father meeting with each family member individually in the final hours of his life and how this event relates to the experience of grief according to Muller and Thompson (2003). The phrase that would appropriately fill the blank based on the context provided would be 'anticipatory grief', a term that refers to the process where people begin to grieve in anticipation of the loss. Anticipatory grief can involve recognizing the impending loss, starting to process the emotions associated with that loss, and perhaps beginning to find closure through last interactions and expressions of love and gratitude, like Heather's father did.
Anticipatory grief is not explicitly mentioned in the provided references, but it is a concept closely related to the understanding of grief and how individuals might prepare for the loss when death is expected. It acknowledges that the psychological, emotional, and social responses associated with grief can begin even before the actual loss occurs.