This book is for
people who feel stuck in their
grief, who seem unable to move past
the pain of loss despite the passage
of time and their own best efforts
to heal. Based on her experience
working with hundreds of people who
have lost loved ones, the author
relates memorable stories of those
who have moved through seemingly
inconsolable grief to rebuild
meaningful lives. She offers
insights, suggestions and resources
to help people identify where their
own mourning may have broken down,
and what they can do to get back on
the path of healing. Often, grief is
complicated by the nature of the
relationship that the mourner had
with their loved one before his or
her death: dependency, long term
caregiving, ambivalence, or even
abuse. Sometimes the nature of the
death - suicide, prolonged illness,
or other trauma - gets in the way of
the mourner's recovery. Getting
Back to Life When Grief Won't Heal
is a book full of compassion and
hope, an invaluable guide to helping
mourners rebuild their lives when it
seems that grief just won't heal.
"I have always
thought of life, and grief, as a
complex puzzle. When a significant
person dies, there are so many
pieces to one's grief, so many
missing parts. Phyllis Kosminsky
offers the reader the missing pieces
and makes sense out of a senseless
time. This wonderful book is not
only for the bereaved, but for
anyone who works with the bereaved,
including clergy, hospice personnel,
funeral directors, and of course,
all therapists."
- Helen Fitzgerald, author of
The Mourning Handbook
"This is an
extraordinary book. It provides an
exceptional description of the
challenges that often accompany the
loss of a loved one, and, more
importantly, offers many resources
for moving through complicated
grief. I highly recommend it both
for individuals struggling with
bereavement and for therapists
working with such clients."
- Stephen Gilligan, PhD, author
of The Courage to Love
"This important
book gently and clearly helps people
get on with their lives and get
"unstuck" from the isolating cycle
of sadness and self blame often
accompanying loss. Almost anyone
struggling with grief issues will
find the advice offered here to be
extremely valuable."
- William Feigelman, PhD, author
of The Chosen Children
