The Healing Process: Stories of Ordinary People Working Through Grief

This book explores the process of coming to terms with loss. In each chapter the reader becomes a silent witness to therapy sessions in which a sister, a wife, a brother, or a physician struggles with the emotional ups and downs of the first several years of grief. You hear each person ask very human questions: "Is what I'm feeling normal?" or "Should I be over this by now?" The reader is encouraged to examine his or her own history of loss by using the technique of a Time Line of Loss. The book also introduces the Kaleidoscope Effect--a way of understanding the often unsettling changes in existing relationships after a death.Each personal story testifies to the fact that grief is a state of being that affects our body, our psychology, and our social interactions. We can feel normal for weeks or months and then, as if by an undertow, be pulled back into sorrow and grief.With empathy and insight, several stories explore the issue of losing a parent who was emotionally or physically abusive. How do we grieve someone whom we loved, but did not like? How do you remain compassionate in attitude toward a parent who was emotionally manipulative, yet now is old, frail, and dying? The message shared through each story is one of healing. Through the passage of time and with a little therapeutic intervention, these ordinary people were able to resolve their grief and reach out to reconnect with others in affection and love......"Everyone will experience death during his or her lifetime. Through a series of true stories, this book helps us explore and understand the grieving process, especially with relationships that are complex and challenging. It is a Must Read!"Kathy J. Selvaggi, MD, MS, FAAHPMPalliative Care DirectorButler Health System"These profoundly poignant stories illustrate a breadth of grief experiences and demonstrate how the psychological complexities of this most difficult of human experiences can be successfully navigated. Dr. Miles is a consummate therapist weaving clinical wisdom effortlessly though her storytelling. The insights in this work are easily accessible to lay people and will prove an important reference for clinicians as well."Andrea DiMartini, MDProfessor of Psychiatry and SurgeryUniversity of Pittsburgh