Sudden Loss Survival Guide

Chelsea Hanson is a nationally recognized grief educator and founder of With Sympathy Gifts and Keepsakes, which is an online memorial gift store and grief support center.Hanson found her true purpose in grief support and legacy work and graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Madison as a grief support specialist with certifications in holistic life coaching and life legacy preservation. By connecting her 20 years of business expertise with her true calling, she is an entrepreneur who specializes in grief products and programs to help others transform personal setbacks into opportunities to live a meaningful life.Chelsea transcended unexpected loss over time, losing both her father and mother at a young age. She now lives and works in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with her husband and son.Marty Tousley, RN, MS, FT, is both a bereaved parent and a bereaved child. She has focused her practice on issues of grief, loss, and transition for more than 40 years. As a grief counselor, Tousley administers and moderates GriefHealingDiscussionGroups.com and runs GriefHealing.com.Tousley is the author of Finding Your Way through Grief: A Guide for the First Year and The Final Farewell: Preparing for and Mourning the Loss of Your Pet. She is a frequent contributor to healthcare journals, newsletters, and magazines for the public, and has written several articles and book chapters in the professional nursing and medical literature. Her online articles appear on the Grief Healing Blog, as well as the Open to Hope Foundation and the Grief Toolbox websites.She is a registered nurse with a master's degree in Advanced Psychiatric-Mental Health Nursing. She has earned the Board Certified TeleMental Health Provider (BC-TMH) credential and was awarded the Fellow in Thanatology (FT) certification by the Association for Death Education and Counseling.She and her husband Michael live Sarasota, Florida.Jan Warner's husband died in 2009, and she started the blog, Grief Speaks Out, which continues today. When Warner later created Grief Speaks Out, an online community, she never imagined that it would become a loving, supportive community to over 2 million people worldwide. Warner is the author of Grief Day by Day: Simple Practices and Daily Guidance for Living with Loss. She has a Master’s degree in Counseling and has worked in child abuse and suicide prevention. She owned the bookstore, The Turning Page. She has produced documentaries including The Last Laugh by Ferne Pearlstein and Poetry of Resilience by Katja Esson. She also produced the off-Broadway play, Party Face. Jan is an avid traveler and has been to all 7 continents. Her favorite thing, though, is spending time with her daughter Erin and her granddaughter Gwendolyn. She lives in New York City.

• Table of ContentsIntroductionThis is a Book of HealingThis is a Book of TransformationThis is a Book of ComfortHow to Use this BookThe Seven Grief Healing PracticesPracticing What You LearnNoticing Resistance to HealingStarting A Dedicated Healing JournalCreating a Safe Place to GrieveMaking Your Healing Sanctuary MeaningfulUsing Your Healing SanctuaryPractice One: Readjust Understand SorrowJourney through GriefHow Will I Get Through Loss?What Grief IsWhat Grief Is NotHow Long Will Grief Last?What Should I Expect?Am I Going Crazy?Why Don’t Others Talk About Death?Should I Talk About Her/Him?Where Is My Loved One?Why Did This HappenWhy Am I Questioning My Faith?How Do I Make Sense Of This?Will I Have Closure?Will Happiness Ever ReappearPractice Two: Release Allow and Let Go of GriefYou Can and Will Go OnChoosing HopeCommitting to HealingOwning Your GriefDefining HealingChoosing to Heal with IntentionAffirming Your Intention to HealAllowing Your Painful EmotionsSoothing Resistance to GrievingLetting Go of EmotionsIdentifying Cumulative GriefPractice Three: RenewFoster A Support SystemCaring for YourselfReaching Out for HelpAsking for Specific HelpFinding Support From the Right PeopleTalking About SorrowPutting Your Needs First and Expressing PreferencesBeing an Advocate for Your Needs and EmotionsExploring and Breaking Grief MythsDealing with MisinformationSurviving the MilestonesMaking ProgressEasing Into Work ChallengesNavigating the Grief TerrainPractice Four: ReconnectDevelop Ongoing Spiritual ConnectionHealing Grief with Spiritual PresenceUsing Spiritual ConnectionNoticing the SignsImagining HeavenAsking for Without a Doubt SignsBecoming Familiar with Types of SignsNot Sensing SignsUsing MeditationUsing PrayerPractice Five: ReassessDiscover Meaning and Purpose from LossNoticing Your GrowthViewing Today as a GiftLiving Life AuthenticallyCultivating Desires from your Authentic SelfAnswering the Important QuestionsBringing Joy into Your Life GraduallyFinding Passion and PurposeExploring Your Inner SelfReturning to JoyPractice Six: ReassureProvide Peace to Those you LoveRevealing Your HeartLetting Others InCreating a Legacy LetterOvercoming Resistance to Sharing Your MessageCrafting Your Legacy MessageSharing Messages for Future OccasionsShining OnPractice Seven: RememberHonor Your Beloved and Memories CreativelyMemorializing Your Loved OneChoosing How to RememberRepurposing Personal BelongingsRedesigning JewelryLinking to Tangible ItemsUsing Living MemorialsMourning With SymbolsRemembering Through a CauseUsing Remembrance PracticesLiving While RememberingEpilogueSuggested ReadingAcknowledgments​About the Author