Healing the Soul: The Best Books on Grief
In psychology, grief is the adaptation process that human beings go through after any type of loss: whether it's a loved one, a romantic relationship, a job, or an opportunity to obtain something. Although it's usually associated with an emotional response, grief can also involve physical, cognitive, and philosophical reactions, which are vital for almost everyone.
Currently, Experts continue to investigate whether the human species is the only one that goes through these processes., or whether, on the contrary, other animals can also experience grief. The truth is that psychologists, thanatologists, and various specialists have written a veritable wealth of texts on the subject. If you'd like to learn more about this topic, check out this list of the best books on grief.
Best books on grief
Diary of mourning (2021), by Roland Barthes
Among the techniques that psychologists often recommend to overcome the trauma of a loss, is writing.This is what author Roland Barthes resorted to when, from October 26, 1977, to September 5, 1979, he created more than 330 diary entries—almost all of them dated—to express his feelings about his mother's death.
This book constitutes an invaluable testimony about death and pain, and had remained unpublished in its original language until it was brought to the public by the Roland Barthes Library. Diary of mourning It could become a comforting corner for all those people who need support during this difficult period of loss.
Quotes by Roland Barthes
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"Writing is the place where the subject escapes from himself, where he loses himself and finds himself at the same time."
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"The act of reading is like looking at the moon through the bars of a window."
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"The power of writing lies in its ability to free both reader and author from preconceived ideas."
Learning from Loss: A Guide to Coping with Grief (2019), by Robert A. Neimeyer
This book brings a new perspective to the table about death for people who have suffered a loss. It is also intended as a guide for professionals specializing in these types of cases. Losing someone, especially if it was in a traumatic way, It can leave after-effects that appear even after some time has passed since the trauma.
Therefore, author Robert A. Neimeyer exposes the excessive superficiality with which we traditionally view grief, and analyzes his theory as an active process of reconstruction and transformation. This book helps mobilize the personal resources of the bereaved, Above all, thanks to the real cases of others who have gone through the same pain and have managed to overcome it.
Quotes by Robert A. Neimeyer
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"The patient is torn apart: one part sinks into pain and despair; the other tries to escape such profound grief. We must help them find balance in the face of such emotional ups and downs and support them so they can reorient their lives without the physical presence of their loved one."
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"The mental representation of the loved one changes. Now they're not someone we can enjoy breakfast with, but their psychological representation is present in our lives in a different way."
Talking about death to live and die better: how to avoid added pain and suffering at the end of life (2022), by Montse Esquerda
The title, from the outset, shows us the author's tendency to expose how we in the West have turned our backs on death and its rituals. In less than twenty years, Dying, as well as its rites and symbols, seems to have become a taboo.Even though we think it makes us happier, it simply makes us more vulnerable to the inevitable.
Rituals, which were becoming increasingly rare, played a fundamental role: providing a space in which people were able to share company and say goodbye to someone or something that would never return. It is necessary to insist that loss generates trauma, and, in most cases, these processes require support. In this sense, the author studies how our perception of death has changed.
Quotes by Montse Esquerda
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"We often tend to worry a lot about things that won't matter much the day after tomorrow. Talking about death, being mindful of the end, constantly repositions us, makes us clear about what is more and less important."
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"There has been a professionalization of death, and that makes people lose touch with it."
The Tasks of Grief: Grief Psychotherapy from an Integrative Relational Model (2010), by Alba Payàs Puigarnau
This book appeals to professionals called upon to accompany people who are suffering the loss of a loved one, especially if it has been sudden or traumatic. In many cases, psychologists and psychiatrists do not have knowledge in thanatology, and are overwhelmed by the pain of their clients. However, it's never too late to learn.
This volume presents criteria for the type of care experts should provide to patients. That is: We are looking at a therapeutic intervention guide, Designed to identify the specific needs of the grieving person, proposing methods to deal with the different stages of the process, such as redefining things or places.
Quotes by Alba Payàs Puigarnau
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"The suffering of your loss, like a compass, guides you by pointing out where you should direct your gaze. If you silence it, anesthetize it, or suppress it, the emotional wound will remain open and your grief will remain unresolved."
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"Don't rush through grief; the only place you have to get to is yourself."
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"The pain that comes with the loss of a loved one is a necessary suffering."
Grief treatment: psychological counseling and therapy (2022), by William Worden
This is an authentic guide focused on describing the mechanisms of grief, as well as the various procedures that must be used to help people cope with their loss and the pain it entails, and overcome both. The book addresses the topics of pathological grief, the family in the process understood as a patient, and loss with a greater burden of affliction.
Likewise, Here you can find texts about AIDS, death, and the grief of old age., the impact of social media on society and online resources related to "cyber-grief," the modifications to the DSM-5 that have influenced grief work, alternative models for carrying out mourning, and the different qualities that a mourner can present.
Quotes by William Worden
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"Not everyone experiences grief with the same intensity or experience it in the same way, but it's impossible to lose someone you've been very close to without feeling some pain."
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"The first task of mourning is to fully face the reality that the person is dead, that they are gone, and that they will not return."
Thanks, love: what do we do now? Keep dancing. (2022), by Lucía Benavente
The author arrives to close a cycle, and delivers a moving book about how to overcome life's toughest trials. Unlike other books about grief, The writer shows us existence through the voice of an enterprising woman, a mother of a family and a big heart, who walks with optimism towards the future, despite having gone through very difficult times.
All this comes after having faced the death of her partner, the poet Miki Naranja, who died of a brain tumor. The author says that during the process, her world fell apart.However, after a few months of silence, she has reinvented herself: she moved to a new city and clung to her family and her passions, seeking joy and hope in her life.
Quotes by Lucía Benavente
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"Because freedom is glorious, yes, but exhausting."
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"I guess it's just another way of protecting myself, but I can't say how I feel. I prefer to laugh even if it doesn't really amuse me."
This is not happening (2024), by Carmen Romero
If you want to know what grief looks like from a comedian's point of view, this It's your book, because Carmen Romero, a well-known comedian, wrote a revelation about how she felt after her brother Miguel's suicide. The story begins during a seemingly normal day in which, while the author watched The Godfather together with his brother, he jumps out the window, leaving everyone in shock.
From then on, Carmen Romero's life became the filming of a movie in which no one said "cut!" Surrounded by neighbors, police officers, doctors, ambulances, and family members, Carmen remained stuck in pain and horror until, at some point, she began to write, and in doing so, humor emerged, an element that cushioned his fall into the void and later became his springboard.
Quotes by Carmen Romero
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"During grief, guilt weighs heavily. It weighs heavily on you to say that you could have done something to prevent what happened from happening."
