Acknowledgements -- Preface -- Prologue: happier days -- Stepping into the wilderness -- The body takes a hit : shock & tears -- What they say & don't say : dealing with others -- The unfinished puzzle : why and what-if? -- Forever 21 : birthdays, anniversaries & memorials -- Living the nightmare : parenting & family life -- Grief holiday : hallmark occasions -- Who shall live and who shall die : spirituality & the jewish year -- What is left : remembering & forgetting -- Soothing our grieving selves : comfort & healing -- The hard stuff : guilt, anger, shame & forgiveness -- Inside out : mental states & mental illness -- Phases and stages : the passing of time -- Climbing into the day : re-integration & looking ahead -- Beyond surviving : suggestions for survivors / by Iris Bolton -- References -- Recommended resources on suicide & suicide loss : a sampling.
Summary:
Written by a mother who lost her 21 year old son to suicide, this book deals with the themes of suicide loss through the lens of the author's personal grief. Addressing the process of post-traumatic growth, this memoir provides the bereaved with therapy exercises and creative activities to help them come to terms with their loss. Although it deals directly with losing a child, much of the book pertains to grief generally, especially complicated grief after a sudden death, and thus provides comfort to any reader who has lost a close one to suicide or anyone interested in young people struggling with mental health. Organised thematically, it addresses the many issues and stages involved in the grieving process and ends each chapter with a variety of beneficial yoga, breathing and therapy activities. This allows readers to dip in and out of the book, and go at their own pace - replicating the fact that grief is not a linear journey but an iterative one that goes back and forth. This book is a lifeline for anyone struggling to process loss.
This resource is supported by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act as administered by State Library of Iowa.