Finding Meaning - by David Kessler (Paperback)

About the Book

Many people look for "closure" after a loss. Kessler argues that it's finding meaning beyond the stages of grief most of us are familiar with--denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance--that can transform grief into a more peaceful and hopeful experience. In Kessler's new work, he discovers a sixth stage: meaning.: meaning.

Book Synopsis

In this groundbreaking and "poignant" (Los Angeles Times) book, David Kessler--praised for his work by Maria Shriver, Marianne Williamson, and Mother Teresa--journeys beyond the classic five stages to discover a sixth stage: meaning.In 1969, Elisabeth Kübler-Ross first identified the stages of dying in her transformative book On Death and Dying. Decades later, she and David Kessler wrote the classic On Grief and Grieving, introducing the stages of grief with the same transformative pragmatism and compassion. Now, based on hard-earned personal experiences, as well as knowledge and wisdom gained through decades of work with the grieving, Kessler introduces a critical sixth stage: meaning. Kessler's insight is both professional and intensely personal. His journey with grief began when, as a child, he witnessed a mass shooting at the same time his mother was dying. For most of his life, Kessler taught physicians, nurses, counselors, police, and first responders about end of life, trauma, and grief, as well as leading talks and retreats for those experiencing grief. Despite his knowledge, his life was upended by the sudden death of his twenty-one-year-old son. How does the grief expert handle such a tragic loss? He knew he had to find a way through this unexpected, devastating loss, a way that would honor his son. That, ultimately, was the sixth stage of grief--meaning. In Finding Meaning, Kessler shares the insights, collective wisdom, and powerful tools that will help those experiencing loss. "Beautiful, tender, and wise" (Katy Butler, author of The Art of Dying Well), Finding Meaning is "an excellent addition to grief literature that helps pave the way for steps toward healing" (School Library Journal).

Review Quotes

"Helping others is one way to heal; that's a message readers will find in Kessler's new book, [which] contains many messages about the nature of grief and how society supports, or doesn't, the basic human need to mourn...Finding Meaning is Kessler's poignant response to society's insensitivity, [a] how-to in the very best sense...With an accessibility reminiscent of author and neurologist Oliver Sacks, Kessler writes of how our brains are wired for grief - how survivors often become trapped in guilt and relive their loved one's final moments without remembering happier times too." -Nick Owchar, Los Angeles Times "Some people find meaning through belief in an afterlife; for others it comes from recalling fond memories of the loved ones they lost...The pain of grief is a natural reaction to the loss of someone you love. But, as Mr. Kessler points out, suffering 'is what our mind does to us, ' and it can be mitigated by finding meaning in what we've lost." -Jane Brody, The New York Times