Resilient Grieving: How to Find Your Way Through a Devastating Loss

Book excerpt: Resilient Grieving offers an empowering alternative to the five stages of grief—and makes clear our capacity for growth following the trauma of a loss that changes everything As heard on NPR’s Hidden Brain and CBS News The death of someone we hold dear may be inevitable; being paralyzed by our grief is not. Recent research has revealed our capacity for resilient grieving, our innate ability to respond to traumatic loss by finding ways to grow—by becoming more engaged with our lives, and discovering new, profound meaning. Author and resilience/well-being expert Lucy Hone, a pioneer in positive psychology and bereavement research, was faced with her own inescapable sorrow when, in 2014, her 12-year-old daughter was killed in a car accident. By following the strategies of resilient grieving, she found a proactive way to move through her grief, and, over time, embrace life again. “This book aims to help you relearn your world . . . to help you navigate the grieving process as best you can—without hiding from your feelings or denying the reality, or significance, of your loss.”—from Resilient Grieving