Surviving Grief...: And Learning to Live Again »

CATHERINE M. SANDERS, PhD, is a psychologist in private practice. As an expert on grief and loss, she has conducted research, written many journal articles and has lectured extensively on the subject. She received the 1990 award for Outstanding Contribution in the Field of Death-Related Counseling from the Association for Death Education and Counseling.

An insightful, compassionate account of the grieving process that helps us through the pain and isolation experienced with the loss of a loved one.. We're never really prepared for the loss of someone we love. Thrown into a state of emotional chaos we experience rage, guilt, anxiety, and intense sadness all at once. It's the oldest story in the world, we tell ourselves — millions of people have had to cope with this before — and yet, we always believe that what we are experiencing is unique to us. We feel isolated in our anguish and often ashamed of what we are feeling. A profoundly compassionate and insightful book, Surviving Grief. & Learning to Live Again offers you the support and understanding you need to get you through this difficult time. Written by Dr. Catherine Sanders, a therapist and researcher specializing in bereavement issues and one who has lived through the loss of close family members, it helps you to see that what you are feeling is part of a natural process of readjustment and renewal. According to Dr. Sanders, grieving, like any other natural regenerative process, must be allowed to run its proper course if we are ever to regain our equilibrium and continue on with our lives. To help us better understand the process, she describes the five universal phases of grief: Shock, Awareness of Loss, Conservation and The Need to Withdraw, Healing, and Renewal, and guides us through each. Drawing directly from her own experiences and those of her clients and her research studies, she delves deeply and compassionately into the different experiences of grief, and talks about what it means to lose a mate, a parent, or a child. And she discusses the factors thatcan have an influence on the grieving process, such as age, gender, and the circumstances surrounding the loved one's death.

Library Journal

The theme of this well-written book is that although death and grief cause change, this change should not be feared. Sanders, a psychologist and bereavement researcher, draws upon her professional and personal experiences with grief. She describes five phases of bereavement and the ultimate transition that can occur as those who grieve progress from the first stage of ``shock'' to the fifth stage of ``renewal.'' Sanders details the emotions that accompany each phase and offers practical suggestions for dealing with them. The author's straightforward approach and skillful blend of anecdotes, pragmatism, and philosophy make for an exceptionally readable and reassuring book. Highly recommended for psychology collections.--January Adams, Somerville P.L., N.J.