Customer Reviews

Recovery from Loss: A Personalized Guide to the Grieving Process

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How can you review a book which had no small part in saving your life. I lost my 36 year old, vibrant and beautiful wife to a hit and run (she was a pedestrian) and read dozens of books as part of my healing process. Many had to do with "griefwork", many were religious in nature and many more dealt with "Life after Death" and near death experiences. If I had to point out one book which had the most positive influence on me in the healing process and was the most comforting, it would have to be Mr. Tagliaferre and Dr. Harbaugh's book, Recovery from Loss. The pain and grief shared by Mr. T after the loss of his own wife after 35 years of marriage was so heartrendering and relevant to what I was going through, it felt at times as if he read my mind. Accompanied by the studies of Dr. Harbaugh, and the plain humanity of both these men makes this a 5 star book. There is griefwork, spirituality, the communion of man and the pain of a man in just the right proportions. If you are looking for a gift to someone who has recently lost a loved one, especially a spouse, or if that person is you, please go out and buy this book. You will be well pleased that you did.

This book could be helpful but it takes too much intellectual effort to construct a personalized grief process plan, which one might not be able to deal with at a time of bereavement. So I recommend reading this book not immediately after your loss, but perhaps a few months later. It relies on the Myers-Briggs Personality classification to help the reader lay out a plan for their own recovery and recommends that the reader gets a professional testing from a certified psychologist. However, an unofficial version of the test is available on the Myers-Briggs website. I feel that one might not muster the strength to deal with figuring such things out at such a difficult time. If you are receiving grief therapy, it might be a good complimentary resource. The information is not overwhelming and the book is very reader-friendly, but you might feel like you are studying a college text or your Psych 101 notes in some parts.

The writers often share their own stories of losing loved ones, which helps a little. Hearing of other people's experiences somehow abates the sense of loneliness that seems to be an inextricable part of grief.

The book does not have any religious content, but one of the authors is a man of the cloth so naturally the book points to religion too frequently as a way to deal with death. Of course, this can be very helpful, if you do have a religion. If you do not believe in an after-life, you might find the emphasis on using your spiritual resources bothersome, although -to be fair-- the authors also include suggestions for the non-spiritually inclined, such as taking up meditation or looking for solace elsewhere.