Customer Reviews

Grief Recovery Handbook, The (Revised): A Program for Moving Beyond Death, Divorce, and Other Devastating Losses

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2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I read this book 14 months into grieving my husband and best friend, who died suddenly, in my arms, with no warning of illness. Shock, trauma and loss.

At the time, I was only 8 months into my own recovery from massive brain surgery, so had little energy reserves or coping skills available to fall back on, which turned out to be a good thing: I had little choice but to live the grief wherever it took me.

However, 14 months along, I still felt locked in grief, unsatisfied with friends' responses, advice from experts in books, widows groups, and physicians. Losing him had resurrected, unbidden, many ungrieved losses in my life so that the mass had become an enormous weight still carried in my body and spirit. I was full of dread each and every day.

My bewlidered refrain: "I don't know how to do this!"

A friend gave me a copy of this book. At first, it seemed too simple to be effective, but 20 pages in, it was clear that the authors had learned how to cut through all the stuff we carry around from infancy on, and get down to the work of cleaning up old and new losses.

Grieving may never completely end, but by doing the hard work in this book honestly and completely, I found myself clearing away regrets and sadness and fears over losses in my life that I had no idea I still carried. I also came to new insights about how to continue the grieving process for my husband enough so that I could look out on the world with an open heart.

Each time I do and redo the excercises in this book, the letting go continues, and as it takes place, old losses surprisingly surface to be honoured and resolved. I no longer feel I don't know how to do this.

The Grief Handbook is so valuable, multiple copies have been purcahsed and sent to friends who have lost loved ones, or who still carry emotional wounds from unresolved relationships with the living.

The most honest and simple guide out there.

I think that the authors are a bit unrealistic in how "neat" and "tidy" they try to make grief recovery. I almost felt guilty about feeling sad while reading this book. It was harsh, not a friend. I was reading this after losing my husband in a car accident. He died upon impact. I don't think this book relates with this type of loss well at all. While his processes seem logical--grief is anything but logical. I think this would work for job loss, moving, divorce, things of that nature. Using this book to try and heal after death of a loved one simply won't work.

An outstanding book - highly recommended for anyone grieving a loss and willing to work through the process. Dispells myths and stereotypes, very readable, and very effective process.

For more than a year after my father died, I felt as if I was going in slow motion, while the world raced past me. Time didn't seem to have done anything to heal me, in fact I was feeling worse. My friends tried to talk to me and help me, but I couldn't hear anything other than my own despair. One of my dear friends, in desperation, gave me a copy of The Grief Recovery Handbook. That simple act of kindness changed my life. In the solitude of my own home, without having to try to feel good so others would think I was okay, I began to read the book. Almost against my own will, I began to take the actions and do the exercises outlined in the book. One of the hardest parts about them, was that they were too easy. I began to realize how much I had been complicating the possibility of recovery by trying to use my head to fix my heart. As the direct result of creating an accurate picture of my entire relationship with my father, and completing what had been unsaid or unfinished, I regained the gratitude I felt toward life, and the energy with which to live it. While I have normal sadness and miss my dad from time to time, I am able to sustain a life of meaning and value, even though he is no longer physically here. What happened for me feels like a miracle, but in reality is the result of the safety and encouragement to take action provided by The Grief Recovery Handbook. I am eternally grateful.

It was refreshing to finaly find a book that touched my heart and gave me the specific steps that I needed to follow to heal my heart after the "death" of the relationship with my Dad. I only wish I had found The Grief Recovery Handbook years ago. The practical information makes sense and works. Now I am free to have access to the fond memories my Dad and I once shared.

My brother sent me a copy of this book. Within 3 chapters I found that everything they talked about was true. I continued even though I was apprehensive from time to time. The result was like a 500 pound anvil had been lifted off my neck.

I have recommended this book and given copies to others. I have found that some people are more willing to do difficult emotional work than others. Those who do the work get better those who don't get smaller.

I am writing at this time due to the WTC mess. I am also letting you know if you don't already that I found the Handbook in Spanish. This has proven helpful for several of my employees.

I am even more impressed with the expanded edition than the wonderful edition that preceded it. As a bereavement counsellor, this has been invaluable for me, and for my suffering clients. I buy multiple copies, and give them to anyone who is experiencing the sadness of loss - recent loss, unresolved loss from the past, through death, divorce, growing up in a dysfunctional/alcoholic home. Best of all it is an easy read, with fascinating case studies and examples. Certainly the best of any literature that is out there in the area of grief recovery

This book is easy to read. The authors recommend reasonable "homework" that guides the reader through his/her loss history. The entire process outlined in the book provides a crucial look at important relationships and includes exercises to help bring relationships "up-to-date". The Grief Recovery Handbook would be an excellent companion to a traditional grief support group. Readers should know that The Grief Recovery Institute, adminstered by the authors, is an excellent resource. Visit their Website at www.grief.net. I have seen this simple book help many people who are grieving even though their stories and circumstances are quite varied. The authors joined with a Child Psychologist to publish another excellent book entitled When Children Grieve.

When my mother died, I was devastated and the pain was crippling. Reading The Grief Recovery Handbook and doing the exercises helped me get back into my life. I still miss my mom and I'm sad that she's gone, but the book helped me complete the pain from her loss. I strongly recommend it to anyone who has experienced a loss.

I was so glad to recieve this book from a friend, following the death of a loved one. After reading the hand book I understood how natural many of the things I was feeling were. This information helped me to take the necessary steps to complete my losses while not burying the many memories I shared with those lost. It immidiately made a change in my outlook on the subject of grief, which I feel is a very neglected subject in our society today. I wish I had this information years ago because it is all you need to be prepared for loss whatever form it may take. It has also changed my relationships with those around me, allowing me to comunicate my feelings for them truthfully and freely. Thank you for this book.