Valley of Life | Online Memorial Blog

I met a family therapist at a dinner party I was attending a month or so ago. In the course of my questioning him about his practice, his patients and his general therapy practices, he informed me that whenever he is working with a family that has experienced the loss of a family member or loved one, he always recommends that they read How to Survive the Loss of A Love. He said that the book is not a daunting text book about getting over loss but more like a survival guide for getting through those early months of coping and healing. Within the pages are encouraging words in brief sentences as well as poems related to the messages. He said that most patients don’t want to dwell on the subject during those days. The brief reminders of what they can do to help deal with the pain are just what they need and really, about all they can handle.

I was incredibly intrigued and took my new friends advice to take a look at the book. Below is an excerpt I found spoke to me because it touched upon something that I struggled with when I lost a loved one two years ago.

REAFFIRM YOUR BELIEFS:

• Reaffirm any beliefs in which you have faith or have found useful in the past;
• These may include religious, spiritual, psychological or philosophical beliefs you find appealing and valuable;
• Use any body of knowledge you find comforting, inspiring or uplifting—reexplore it, lean on it, grow from it, enjoy it.

~from How to Survive the Loss of a Loved One by Melba Colgrove, PH.D., Harold H. Bloomfield, M.D. and Peter McWilliams

Tags: grief therapy, grieff book, surviving grief

This entry was posted on Thursday, August 16th, 2007 at 9:23 am and is filed under Reviews. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.