Customer Reviews

Swallowed by a Snake: The Gift of the Masculine Side of Healing

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I found out about this book from my pastor. He said it would help and it did. The book offers a map of grief. It shows what it is, the path it takes, what makes it worse or better and importantly what we do to get through it. I needed a map and I got it.

The best thing about this book was that it affirmed the actions that I have been taking after the death and showed me, as a man, how that was actually a way of healing. This book is a breath of fresh air compared to the more feminine you gotta "talk and cry" kinds of books. I had been getting pressure from my wife and others about not dealing with things. This book has helped me explain to them that I am indeed dealing with things but in my own way. This would be a great book for women to help them understand the men they love.

Don't be confused by all of the references to "This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title." The second edition on this page IS the same as the first edition PLUS an extra section. All of the comments on this page refer to both editions. I was confused about this and checked with the publisher before buying.

As a bereavement specialist for 25 years this is simply the best book we've ever seen for men and for women whose men are grieving. Fun, easy reading as well as gracious and good. A wonderful resource and a great gift.

Thomas R. Golden's "Swallowed by a Snake" is by far one of the best books on grief that I have ever read. And because the book is primarily geared towards those with a masculine style of grieving (activity and future-oriented), as a man, I could immediately identify with what Golden had to say.

This book is very readable and could be helpful to anyone (man or woman) who has more of a masculine orientation to their grieving style. It is not biased towards any particular religios pursuasion but at the same time, could be thought of as very spiritual. I recommend it as an addition to any church, synagogue, or mosque library collection.

As a reader, it was quite obvious to me that Golden "knew his stuff" when it came to the topic of masculine grief. His many years of experience in grief counseling and his own grieving process helped shape this very powerful, highly communicative, and empathetic book.

I recommend "Swallowed by a Snake: The Gift of the Masculine Side of Healing" especially to readers who have been recently bereaved (either through death or some other loss). But I also recommend it to those who are revisiting a loss that might have occurred years ago.

This is one of those books you probably will have trouble putting down.

Following the death of my youngest son and mother in the period of 4 days, I eventually went into a mental tailspin. Even with great therapy, I was grasping to seek meaning where none existed for me and to fill the void that was being created within me as the garbage of a lifetime was being exposed and expunged. SWALLOWED BY A SNAKE was one of the first books I picked up. Using native American rituals for healing and folkloric tales from around the world, Mr. Golden opened my eyes to potentials I had not previously considered possible.

In trying to heal myself, in attempting to assuage my grief, particularly for the untimely loss of my son, I decided to use Mr. Golden's example of the Amrican Indian practice of tree wounding. And as the tree, a large beech visible from our porch, healed over, I felt my personal grief decreasing simultaneously. The tree is healed; so am I. And while it took a full year to accomplish, it now serves as a wonderful reminder of my son.

The folksy manner of his telling, the relevance of his examples and the common sense that pervades the book allows me to recommend SWALLOWED BY A SNAKE for anyone in need of a healing of body or mind. While subtitled for men, it is a universal treatise that is just as appropriate for women. Additionally, women with men in their lives who are in need of healing should read the book to help them understand what their men are undergoing.

Men can cry. They can express emotions openly. Thomas Golden's book is a wonderful aid in that expression.

Not every man is "a man's man." Nor is every woman "feminine" through and through. But many men, and some women, are decidedly masculine in their ways of coping with loss. To some they may appear not to be grieving at all when in fact they are grieving differently. This book is perhaps the best in the field about these differences (not so much dwelling in or voicing painful emotion but rather finding meaningful things to do and looking toward the future). It contains wonderful treatments of myths and rituals from native cultures centering on "masculine" patterns of grieving. Swallowed by a Snake will be helpful for men (and for women, too) who want to understand the "masculine" side of their own grieving. And for those who want to understand and support those who grieve in these "masculine" ways.

"Swallowed by a Snake" is an excellent guide for understanding and undertaking the masculine path of healing. Golden explains clearly and directly how grief operates and how men react to it in our society. He helps grievers establish a framework within which to transform guilt, anger, and helplessness into healing and compassion for themselves and others. It has been an extraordinary experience for me. With guidance from this book, I have begun to fashion a completely new life, putting the tragedies of my past in perspective and balance.

Agree with all of the other reviews below that this is a helpful book for anyone healing from loss. Wanted to add that it has really helped my relationship with my wife. She now sees that I have different ways to process my emotions...quieter than hers, more future and action oriented, and different in many ways but she now sees that I am indeed "dealing with my feelings"...just differently from the way she does. This has REALLY helped us.

This is a book for the 21st century.

This is simply the best book on how men grieve that is out there!
If it were possible to give this book 20 stars, I would rate it at 20 stars.

Whether you're a man that's finding it hard to work through your grief, or if you're a female that's at a loss as to how to help the man you love as he grieves, this is THE book.

9 years ago, my brother in law was murdered by his own son. I watched my husband grieve for his brother with huge amounts of worry, thinking that he was stuffing his grief and anger, and simply not dealing with the whole issue. This book helped me to see that men grieve so differently at times than women do. So much so that after reading this book, I was much more at ease with how my husband, and my three boys were dealing with this huge, pain filled loss.

I cannot express how much this book not only helped my husband and boys to work through the grieving process, but how much it helped me to understand and recognize the differences in how men and women grieve.
After reading this book, I found that much of my fear and anxiety over whether or not my husband was actually dealing with his brother's death had disappeared.

I cannot express how much this book not only helped my husband and boys to work through the grieving process, but how much it helped me to understand and recognize the differences in how men and women grieve.
After reading this book, I found that much of my fear and anxiety over whether or not my husband was actually dealing with his brother's death had disappeared.

I actually came to write this review because I needed to see if this book might be available here on Amazon, after hearing that my nephew is still having trouble with grief over the death of his father by his brother's hand. That shows how much of an impression this book made on me almost a decade ago.

This book is beyond invaluable to everyone out there that has suffered a loss. The best praise I can give this book is, "Buy it! You will not be disappointed!"

This book was excellent. This was my first book on grief, and I found it very well written and easy to understand. I feel that the author gives a good background on how the grief process works, and why men experience grief differently.

Golden's initial point -- that therapy around grief has developed largely in a feminine context, and therefore has missed the boat with many men -- is a relief to read. Reading this, I was pleased to realize I'm not the "insensitive freak" some women have implied I am. I'm doing the grief -- recent deaths of father, brother and pets -- in a way that SHOULD be acceptable, but hasn't been recognized. The suggestions for action didn't resonate as much with me, but as an explanation, it was a worthy read.