My dad died when I was in 1st grade. Head-on car accident. My Catholic grandparents insisted on an open-casket funeral, but my mom fought with them to not do that. All I know is I'm glad she did. I don't think that would have helped me one bit. Maybe it helps older people to grieve somehow.

But then again, I'm in my late 40s now and have been to tons of funerals, including my mom's, and I always feel like the open-casket ones are just kind of awkward. You go up and pay your respects just because it feels like the right thing to do, but for me personally, I just go up, bow my head, and don't say anything. I see people holding the deceased person's hand, talking to them, praying, etc, and that's great it if helps them grieve, but to me it just seems weird. I guess if I believed in an afterlife, maybe I would feel differently.

So to answer your question, yes, I'm quite sure it helps some people grieve. But it does nothing for me.