Grief & Loss

Trauma does not just happen to a few unlucky people; it is the bedrock of our psychology. Death and illness touch us all, but even the everyday sufferings of loneliness and fear are traumatic. In The Trauma of Everyday Life renowned psychiatrist and author of Thoughts Without a Thinker Mark Epstein uncovers the transformational potential of trauma, revealing how it can be used for the mind’s own development.

Death is undeniable and unavoidable. We must accept it; there is no other choice. But coming to terms with our mortality can profoundly influence how we live—and how we die. Having been a hospice nurse for decades, Penny Hawkins Smith is an expert on death and dying. As a recovering alcoholic and former drug addict, she knows what it means to change course and become a meaningful contributor to society. Through her work with death, Penny found her purpose in life. In Influencing Death, Penny brings transparency and levity to the grim topic of death.

Is there a way to walk into the final chapters of life with peace and confidence, and with support and wisdom? We all are living an earthly story with a beginning, middle, and end. While aspects of our story's closing hold mystery, we do not have to feel lost as we move toward it. We instead can lean on the support and wisdom of others who know the path ahead. In Anticipating Heaven, Dr. Pyle offers that same practical advice and spiritual comfort to you and your loved ones as you navigate a serious illness.

Sally Douglas and Imogen Carn met after the sudden deaths of their mothers only months apart. Their experiences led them to launch a podcast, and their no-holds-barred, relatable approach to talking about grief sparked a growing following of people eager to have honest conversations about what it really feels like to deal with loss. Good Mourning is a compassionate survival guide for anyone dealing with grief—the kind of book Sal and Im wish they'd had to help them through the dark times.

Becky Galli was born into a family that valued the power of having a plan. With a pastor father and a stay-at-home mother, her 1960s southern upbringing was bucolic—even enviable. But when her brother, only seventeen, died in a waterskiing accident, the slow unraveling of her perfect family began.

Dear Angel is a condensed version of part of my personal diary in which I address a few of my loved ones that have passed on via letter that has helped me deal with my grief. I talk about my grandmother, my miscarriage babies and a dear bestfriend. When I love I love hard. I love all my people, dead or alive. No one is perfect and that’s what makes us all unique. It’s important to never forget your loved ones but to also say what you need to because most deaths are untimely. Don’t let them go without saying something to them. Dear _________

In So Many Freakin’ Secrets, Janet Cheney takes her readers on a journey through her own 1950s/1960s-era dysfunctional upbringing: a life full of secrets, unaddressed emotions, and unhealthy behavior patterns that cultivated a climate of abuse. Punctuated with humor and unusual spurts of joy, Cheney is stymied by unspoken family themes of suppressing grief, hiding abuse, eating away your emotions, "don't talk/don’t share," and withholding love and affection. It all becomes the catalyst to find self-love and learning that all are worthy of love, just for being born.

A week before Christmas 1951, Dr. Ralph Russell risked everything to voluntarily enter a locked federal drug-treatment facility known as a "narcotic farm." Sixty-five years later, Dr. Russell's granddaughter Debbie suffers a debilitating crisis of identity when her father (Dr. Russell's oldest son), always her biggest fan, is accepted into hospice. Debbie's investigation into her paternal lineage reveals family secrets and ignites her mother's volatile outbursts, propelling her into therapy.

"El Duelo es un territorio oscuro, misterioso, casi inaccesible. Una conmoción que nos sorprende, nos toma desprevenidos y cambia nuestro entorno en un instante. No importa lo preparados que creamos estar para enfrentar una pérdida, esa preparación jamás será suficiente. Cuando ocurre, todo se desmorona y por un tiempo nada tiene sentido. Algo se quiebra en nosotros, el mundo se derrumba y nos muestra su aspecto más cruel." Con estas palabras describe Gabriel Rolón cuál será el camino a transitar en su nuevo ensayo: la pérdida.

Finding a way forward when loss unravels your world. If you or someone you care about has experienced a devastating loss, you may be wondering how anyone could survive such debilitating grief. How do you find a way forward through that kind of darkness? Living in the light again probably seems impossible.