Conscious Grieving: A Transformative Approach to Healing from Loss

A compassionate and accessible guide to grieving that offers a new framework for understanding and navigating loss from one of the leading grief therapists.
Conscious Grieving introduces an entirely new approach to grief, one that renowned grief therapist Claire Bidwell Smith has honed from both personal experience and from her decade-long career working with thousands of people as they move through the loss of a loved one. Moving away from older, more traditional models of grief, sentimental takes on loss, or trauma-based texts, Conscious Grieving presents a new framework for each stage of grief: Entering, Engaging, Surrendering, and Transforming. Through a series of thoughtful, brief vignettes that don't overwhelm, readers are invited to engage with their grief, first by "Entering" -- staying present and taking care of ourselves as we navigate the shock and upheaval of a new loss. Then navigating that first year after a loss ("Engaging") by staying in tune with our needs as more complicated feelings of depression, guild or anger surface; later comes "Surrendering," facing the changes to our identity and who we are becoming in the face of loss; and ultimately, "Transforming" through ritual, honor, hope, and grace, and learning to carry our grief with intention so that we can continue to grow, heal, and thrive.