Short description:

Living Beyond Loss takes real questions from real people about the most difficult moments of their lives and offers informed, compassionate counsel and practical guidance.

Long description:

Listening to the bereaved?really listening?brings into sharp focus two things: their pain and their questions. In Living Beyond Loss: Questions and Answers about Grief and Bereavement, noted psychologist Robert Neimeyer compassionately engages the heartfelt inquiries of real bereaved people who have lost parents and partners, siblings and children, to illness, tragic accident, suicide and violence, and offers practical counsel on how to move forward toward a life that can again have meaning. Drawing on more than fifty years of experience in grief therapy and grounded in contemporary research on loss and resilience, this book is an indispensable guide to understanding the nuances of grief and adaptation, which is equally relevant to the bereaved themselves and to the therapists and professionals who strive to support them.

?Robert Neimeyer is a global authority on bereavement and grief. Living Beyond Loss is a treasure trove of stories told by people trying to navigate the painful labyrinth of bereavement. It offers guidance for those who are bereft, while modeling compassion and wisdom for those who try to help them find their way.?

Harvey Max Chochinov, OC, OM, MD, PhD, FRCPC, FRSC, Distinguished Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Manitoba and author of Dignity in Care: The Human Side of Medicine

?Living Beyond Loss is a wonderful resource written by an internationally recognized authority in the field. Readers will find sensitive suggestions, gentle guidance, and practical ideas to help grieving individuals navigate the most difficult aspects of grief and loss. This is truly a must-read book that explores important topics related to grief for clinicians, family, friends, and bereaved individuals themselves.?

Darcy Harris, PhD, author of Principles and Practice of Grief Counseling

?Robert Neimeyer's Living Beyond Loss: Questions and Answers About Grief and Bereavement is a wonderful contribution to the field and a great gift to those struggling with loss and grief. Here we have a well-recognized grief therapist and researcher answering poignant questions by both those who grieve and the professionals who support them. Bob offers wise answers in clear, simple, but always compassionate ways, lighting a path for living beyond loss.?

Kenneth J. Doka, PhD, senior vice president at The Hospice Foundation of America and professor emeritus at The College of New Rochelle

"For years, every Monday morning I?ve rushed to see Bob Neimeyer?s latest response to a challenging question about loss posed by a bereaved individual or a concerned caregiver in AfterTalk?s Ask Dr. Neimeyer column. Nowhere else have I ever seen such clinically and empirically informed information used to compassionately support and validate each questioner, succinctly frame each issue, and then provide not just perspective but specific guidance for how to therapeutically address it and cope most effectively. Inevitably, I would save each column for future reference, as his distillation of so much complex material into a brief answer would amaze me. Now, the combined wealth of Dr. Neimeyer?s wisdom, experience, and sensitivity is offered in one volume that focuses on challenging questions stemming from losses of all types of loved ones and all types of death, while also providing further guidance for professionals. As it elucidates complex notions about grief and makes specific self-help recommendations, this book will be an incomparable asset that personally speaks to the bereaved and informs those who care for them. It is a must have!"

Therese A. Rando, PhD, BCETS, BCBT, The Institute for the Study and Treatment of Loss, Warwick, Rhode Island

Table of Contents:

Part 1.  Introduction

1. Listening to the Bereaved

2. How to Use this Book

Part 2.  Who We Lose

3. Loss of a Husband

4. Loss of a Wife

5. Loss of a Partner or Close Relation

6. Loss of a Parent

7. Loss of a Child

8. Loss of a Sibling

9. Complicated Relationships

Part 3.  How We Lose

10. Fatal Illness

11. Fatal Accident

12. Suicide and Overdose

13. Homicide and Mass Tragedies

Part 4.  Further Questions

14. Practical and Philosophic Questions

15. Questions from Professionals

16. Training Resources for Professionals