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Summary: The most excellent way to find recovery from all grief.
Review: I have taken the grief recovery workshops in conjunction with the handbook and have learned that all grief experiences can be moved and accepted into life experiences. I have also learned what it means to have completed communications.
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Summary: Very helpful book
Review: I just read this book and did the exercises. My dear mother died on October 13, 1998 and I have been bereft. After writing my completion letter to her I feel a tremendous sense of peace and energy. I have read about five bereavement books and this is the best by far. I can't wait to do this same exercise with other "relationships" that have ended.
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Summary: life saving
Review: I started reading and working through the exercises in this book before my father became really ill. During his decline, I was able to keep a loving presence because I'd completed my relationship with him (through the exercises) and could show up as myself without any significant baggage. After he died, I was able to filter out all the unhelpful things which people say after a death, as I knew what to expect. In addition to helping me with the loss of my dad, this book has helped me be a better human being - walking around in the world and noticing when people are grieving and giving them the safe space to talk. It's a wonderful book, and I found it to be easy to read, given the subject.
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Summary: Unrealistic for recovery from a death
Review: 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.
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Summary: finally a book that works
Review: 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.
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Summary: The most helpful book I have ever read to help with loss.
Review: 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.
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Summary: Valuable Resource
Review: John James and Russell Friedman have produced a book that is the best I have read on grieving and recovery. I applaud their efforts and admire their common sense approach and their insightful advice. I highly recommend this book. When we were video taping After the Tears, A Gentle Guide to Help Children Understand Death (video) we researched every source we could find on grief. I would have included this book in our list of resources had I known about it. I will place it on the resource list on our webpage and recommend it to everyone. The best to you both in all that you do. Bless you for your work. K. Peterson After the Tears
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Summary: Actions speak louder than words
Review: 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.
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Summary: A Turning Point Book
Review: My colleague and I "worked this program" together to recover from our respective losses. We did more mental/spiritual work in these 2 months than either of us had ever done in therapy. It is a masterpiece...but only if you really want to learn to grieve well and then get on with life.
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Summary: Usually I scan books - this time I read every word. LM
Review: My name is "Laurie" Murphy. I am one of the golf buddies acknowledged in the back of the book by co-author Russell Friedman. On Tuesday, a couple of weeks ago Russell gave me a signed copy of the book as a gift. While I was thrilled to receive it, I had no urgent need to read it, not having experienced any major losses in the past several years. On Tuesday night, out of a sense of courtesy to Russell, I sat down to "scan" it, so I could at least tell him that I had looked at it. I am normally a person who reads full length books in a couple of hours, as I tend to scan-read. Imagine my surprize, when I found myself reading every single word. And, even though I had no recent losses, I could not put the book down. I noticed almost immediately that the book was comfortable to read, that is, I didn't feel "talked down to." Later, as the book started giving examples and instructions, I found myself participating in the exercises, if not unwillingly, at least unwittingly. The book had gently induced me to participate in a process of discovery. I found myself thinking about events and people that I hadn't thought about in many years. I am now going to do as the book suggests, and not rest on just reading; I am going to take the actions outlined in the book. The other major awareness I had was about many of the things I have said to grieving people that may not have been helpful to them, even though my intentions were honorable. At the same time, I remembered how many times I had not appreciated some of the comments made to me following my own loss experiences. I found the information in the book to be very illuminating, and I already feel more comfortable, knowing that I am a little better prepared when I talk to someone who has just experienced a loss of any kind. To sum it up; I was reading the book out of a sense of obligation to a friend, and wound up reading it for myself. I found it eye-opening and heart-opening in the most positive sense. I have no dou! bt that anyone who has recently experienced a loss will benefit from the book and actions it will help them take. LM 6-24-98.
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