New Way To Grieve From Grieving to Living: Getting Unstuck and Finding the Life That Fits You Now

"New Way to Grieve by Paulette Kranjac is a book for those who have grieved, are grieving, or will be grieving. Of course, this description encompasses almost everyone and it includes those who are actively on the grieving continuum; from those who are demolished by their loss, to those who would prefer to avoid and deny it. In her work, Kranjac makes it clear that to be alive is to grieve. However, the essence here is about changing our relationship with grief, almost embracing it as part of the human experience. Utilizing her own bereavement experiences as a foundation while incorporating her own research and training, Kranjac has written a primer for people caught up in, or surely going to be in, the process. Written from the heart, this work includes a wealth of real life experiences, some of a very personal nature and other touching vignettes based on the author’s interactions with bereaved others. Her in-depth exploration of the bereavement experience provides scores of helpful suggestions and exercises designed to assist anyone going through grief, normalizing thoughts and feelings be they from a place of anger, guilt, denial, despair or whatever. One important “takeaway” from this work is to acknowledge the gratitude we have for those in our lives right at this very moment and, as much as possible, living life to the fullest and being present to it. For no one knows just when the “bell will toll” for them or for their loved ones. Therefore, without just sitting here and waiting for the other shoe to drop, we might as well be prepared and perhaps just a bit more appreciative."

— LAWRENCE M. TUNIS, ED.D, LMFT