Finding Meaning: the Sixth Stage of Grief Workbook: Tools for Releasing Pain and Remembering with Love

I lost my mom over two years ago and I am so grateful for David Kessler and his grief website and support group where you can learn from his wisdom and insight as well as fellow grievers. I read several of his books when my mom was placed in hospice care and right after her death I read his book “Finding Meaning.” It was way too soon for me to “find meaning” and actually process anything when I was in shock. I understand this better now. On this unwelcome grief journey, I have bought (and returned) three grief workbooks from other authors because they were simplistic, uncreative, awkward, and felt like more work and punishment than I was already dealing with. This workbook, however, is a keeper! It is clear how thoughtfully wrought it is, how inventive and unique the contents are, and the deep fount of personal and professional experience that David Kessler brings to the workbook.This workbook is a companion to the book of the same title published earlier, but will definitely be able to stand alone. It is something you should be able to use soon after loss, if you take it step by step without pressuring yourself.I hope and pray many therapists will read this book because it’s unfortunate how little grief awareness is out there.I was immediately impressed with the layout, the beauty of the design, the easy to read and inviting fonts, along with the accessible chapters and exercises. Key is the helpful personal insights, examples, and experience that accompany some of the text. David Kessler ably walks the fine line of telling his story without overwhelming or minimizing yours. In fact, the “stories we tell ourselves” is a persistent theme, and he has some brilliant exercises both telling and re-scripting of our story around the death. There’s also a very unique “Hero’s Journey” storyboard that you can write on your grief journey.There is a three session Zoom meeting schedule beginning Oct. 21st for those who purchase the book. I’m looking forward to the exercises, though it will be hard at times. The only way through grief is to fully feel our pain so we can fully live again.A must buy for anyone who is living with loss and grief.

Both David Kessler’s social media and books are comforting and helpful for anyone going through a loss.

I was reading “Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief” by David Kessler when I discovered this workbook to accompany it. The workbook is a practical way to not just read but actively learn from Kessler’s insights about finding meaning in the midst of pain. Both books are aimed at people relatively near in time to the death of their loved one (but not immediately after) or who are still in the midst of intense grief (including guilt, anger, and/or hopelessness) regardless of how long it has been since the death. This is because it is precisely by finding meaning that we come to need Kessler’s books a little less. If you have begun to find meaning, this book still offers useful tools, because grief doesn’t end. It will also help you be more compassionate to others who are grieving and better prepared when encountering the pain of grief in the future, since each death impacts us differently.Kessler does an incredible job of normalizing all of the thoughts and feelings people might think are abnormal or unique. For example, he addresses feeling guilty about living when your loved one has died, obsessing about what you could have done to prevent your loved one’s death, and how hard it can be to interact with others after the death of a loved one. With examples of how he has helped others break through profound grief and exercises to help the reader begin that same process, Kessler shows it is possible to keep living while grieving. If you feel like you will never be happy or want to live again after the death of your loved one, please read this book and actually do the exercises. To read it is encouraging; to engage with it just might bring you back to life. The pain doesn’t go away, but Kessler makes a strong case it is possible for love to eventually take up more space than the pain.One thing to know is it is important to read “Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief,” before or along with the workbook, because Kessler assumes the reader is familiar with the book on which the workbook is based. The workbook could stand alone on its own to an extent but is much more valuable as a complement to the book. If you read the workbook in a digital format or borrowed copy, be sure to have a notebook available to write out answers to the questions, because merely thinking about them won’t be as beneficial.I read a digital review copy thanks to the publisher, but this workbook and the book it goes with (which I own) are resources I plan to buy for those close to me as needed.