Grieving Mindfully: A Compassionate and Spiritual Guide to Coping with Loss

I have used this book over and over through fairly simple losses and much more difficult and even complex ones. With each loss, this book has offered me unique help to process my loss. I believe that by doing many of the exercises I was able to dive deep into my grieving process and also allow myself to not feel so lost. I have given this book to countless friends during times of loss as well.

I have not quite finished it, but it was more helpful than any other grieving book I read. It is Buddhist-y, which at first I thought unnecessary, but the meditation practice that it taught got me through many deep, unbearable waves of grief. The book explains grief in a really clear and compassionate way, which helps you to understand what is going on, and then gives you ways to handle the worst of it. I have finished all but the last two chapters which concern the first year AFTER the first couple of months. I will take that on now that those months are over.

This is a useful book giving practical advice about dealing with grief. The author is a therapist with Buddhist background, but the principles fit any religion. I liked the examples given from his counseling practice, and I thought the later chapters of the book (which were more concrete) were easier to read and apply. He provides many useful and productive ideas and perspectives that could help a person who is grieving a relationship loss, job loss, or other kinds of loss. I will keep the book and likely read later chapters again, as it is the kind of book that will lead you to deeper understandings if you read it at different times in your life.

"There is strength in numbers!" The other "five star" reviewers have stolen any thunder I could have added to what they have already said. But I can contribute my own "five star" rating in appreciation, to bolster the total number of customer approvals.I am very gratified that so many reviewers have merited this book with "five star" ratings, as well as those who have posted "four star" ratings - thanks to them all.This book seems to have been published by an obscure publisher, which may not have a significant market position to bring the existence of this book to the attention of a wide consuming public. This possibility made me worry about the public recognition this book should be receiving - I feared it may become a buried treasure from the consuming public, unknown to many who experience grief, and could benefit from this book's healthful wisdom.One minor detail in this book had a seismic impact on me, i.e., the author's distinction between "grief" and depression, and how a person's "natural" grief may evolve into depression. Depression is such an over-worked and often misunderstood concept, yet here depression is connected with a person's "natural" grieving process. Even the Buddha said that grieving is natural, and people will feel what people naturally feel - there is nothing "wrong" with a person who grieves over a significant loss.The book's pay-off comes when the book moves beyond the "coping" content, to discuss how the powerful emotion of grief can be utilized as a driving force for a transformation of one's life. Metamorphosis. Great stuff. Plus good discussions of the application of Buddhist concepts of "impermanence" (a central concept), compassion, equanimity, "no-self," as well as 'spirituality,' in general.

First of all, if you're looking at this book and the reviews and deciding whether or not to get it, it probably means that either you or a loved one are grieving and trying to find some help. If so, get this book, you'll be happy that you did.I picked up this book when dealing with a very shocking and difficult break-up, which I don't think is the typical reason people might be looking for this book, but, as the book points out, grieving can occur whenever you lose anything that you value. It could be the loss of a loved one, and also the loss of a job, a relationship, or any other change in your life where something that you once "had" is now gone. The book, I think, was a key part of my getting over that loss as well as I did, and now I read the book whenever I'm struggling with another loss.The key part of the book is that it teaches you to accept grief for what it is, not what other people say it should be or what you think you should be experiencing at a given point. That acceptance is crucial, both in helping you to not beat yourself up over something you can't help at a time when you already feel pretty low, and also because it sets the foundation for the other methods described to help you cope. It's not something I've picked up anywhere else, and it's very helpful.Also, although it's based on some basic Buddhist principles, mainly impermanence, the methods taught could easily be used by everybody. The book doesn't really get into Buddhism that much, and doesn't describe things in Buddhist terms, so it worked well for me as a secular Buddhist, and I think should work for most people.

This is an excellent little book for a grieving person.The author is also a practicing Buddhist and I found some of the aphorisms very helpful in my grief journey.I'm not a religious person, I am aware of spirituality, this book has been extremely comforting on my grief journey. My wife died five months ago and this book came to me after three months. So I bought my own.If I could give it more stars I would

I recently lost my husband after an exhausting year caring for him with cancer. He was young and we were happy. This book has been a companion to me - I bought on the recommendations on here- and although nothing will take away the pain of losing him, this book has helped me to bear the awful waves of grief that at times can threaten to overwhelm me. It is a hopeful but doesn't shy away from the reality of grief. It helps me to know that even grief isn't a permanent state of being- even though at times it can feel that way. I thoroughly recommend this book to anyone suffering from loss.

Easy to read and understand. I just started reading it but i like it very much. It Helps so far.

I love reading this insightful book. My father just passed away, I needed to get a hold of something so promising in words as it is this book. When i feel acute grief coming about, I grab Grieving Mindfully and process peacefully the wise words of this writer. Thankyou. Very helpful.

I can't recommend this book highly enough.it brings compassion,solace,understanding and more importantly hope.the author so 'gets it' and makes you feel that there you will come through the battlefield of grief and the myriad of emotions this brings. Written in a gentle easy to read form and has given me a better understanding of the complexities of grief and also how it can change the relationships of people who you thought as tour nearest and dearest.