Writing to Heal the Soul: Transforming Grief and Loss Through Writing [Paperback]

Susan Zimmermann (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 12, 2002

Susan Zimmermann experienced a devastating loss when her first child, Katherine, developed a neurological disorder that left her unable to walk or talk. Faced with her daughter’s disability, Susan struggled with fear, denial, guilt, bitterness, and despair. She began to heal only through writing. Working through conflicting emotions with paper and pen enabled her to transform her sadness into acceptance and even joy.

Writing to Heal the Soul is Susan’s gift to others—everyone, not just writers—who are suffering any kind of grief or loss, whether the injury, disability, or death of a loved one, the loss of a job, or the end of a relationship. Lyrically illustrated with true stories from the author and others, the book offers simple yet inspiring writing exercises to help you resolve your pain as you transform your grief into words of hope and healing.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Unlike the other authors in this roundup, Zimmerman does not focus solely on loss through death. Instead, she speaks of how writing can allow emotions sparked from any loss to be expressed, thence allowing the writer to grapple and come to terms with grief. Zimmerman knows of what she speaks; her first book, Grief Dancers, allowed her to reach some resolution in her sorrow over her daughter's developmental disabilities owing to Rett syndrome. She uses anecdotes from her life to introduce exercises designed to get readers writing about their feelings and their own life experiences. Wide-ranging, those exercises include writing love and hate letters, examining one's blessings-in-disguise, and comparing how much one does for others versus how much one does for oneself. Zimmerman is obviously a believer in the therapeutic effects of journaling, and she makes a good evangelist for her beliefs. Recommended for most public libraries; academic libraries supporting creative nonfiction programs may also want to consider.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Review

“Susan Zimmermann writes with the authenticity of someone who has experienced the dark night of the soul, and the wisdom of someone who has found her way back. Her book is that rare thing, a beautifully written guidebook, both useful and lyrical, pragmatic and poetic. It offers readers a chance to lose themselves in the work of a gifted writer while finding themselves through the gift of writing itself.” —Martha Beck, author of Expecting Adam and Finding Your Own North Star

“Writing to Heal the Soul is an intelligent, beautifully written, and moving book, a guide for anyone who has experienced loss, failure, or tragedy. Zimmermann leads us on a journey that is deeply fulfilling and full of joy.”—James W. Pennebaker, Ph.D., author of Opening Up: The Healing Power of Expressing Emotions

“Zimmermann weaves together moving stories, practical writing exercises, and wisdom into a seamless guide to thriving in the face of crisis. She teaches us how to use writing as a healing balm.”—Dan Shapiro, Ph.D., author of Mom’s Marijuana

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Three Rivers Press (February 12, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 060980829X
• ISBN-13: 978-0609808290
• Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.6 x 7.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #702,858 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

An internationally-known speaker and workshop leader, Susan Zimmermann is coauthor of the educational bestsellers Mosaic of Thought, Second Edition (2007) and 7 Keys to Comprehension (with Chryse Hutchins, 2003). She cofounded and served as the Executive Director of the Denver-based Public Education and Business Coalition, an organization that has spearheaded ground-breaking comprehension work. During her ten years there, she initiated numerous programs to improve the quality of public schools, including the Reading Project, which has been implemented in more than one hundred schools and provides the examples in Mosaic of Thought, Second Edition, and 7 Keys. As part of Heinemann Speakers, Susan also provides Professional development through Heinemann related to comprehension strategy teaching. Visit her Heinemann Speakers page for more information. Susan is also the author of Keeping Katherine (2005); Writing to Heal the Soul (2002), winner of the Colorado Book Award; and Grief Dancers (1996), finalist for the Colorado Book Award and winner of the Exceptional Parent symbol of excellence for its "profound contribution to human understanding and dignity." These wise and inspiring books grew out of Susan's personal experience of raising her profoundly handicapped daughter Katherine, who developed normally for her first year, but then experienced a devastating neurological disorder (Rett syndrome) that left her unable to walk, talk or feed herself. Currently a full-time speaker and writer, Susan has given hundreds of workshops, keynotes, and summer institutes in over 40 states, throughout Canada, and in Mexico on ways to deepen reading and writing experiences for adults and children. A lover of the wilderness and believer in the transformative power of the outdoors, she has been a trustee of the Colorado Outward Bound School and served as the board chair of The Women's Wilderness Institute, an organization that provides wilderness learning experiences for adolescent girls and women. Susan is a graduate of Yale Law School and mother of four. She lives in the foothills west of Denver. For more information on Susan Zimmermann visit her Web site at www.susanzimmermann.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars spiritual, nourishing, and deeply moving, September 1, 2003

By 

Ellen Etc. (Northern California, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Writing to Heal the Soul: Transforming Grief and Loss Through Writing (Paperback)

Zimmermann writes movingly about her own struggles and those of others, with zinger quotes from other authors that you may find yourself wanting to copy out and frame. She had a long-term grief centered around a disabled daughter, but get a copy of this book and read about it yourself. If you never write a word, it will still help (but do write, as she directs you with compassionate exercises). She writes beautifully, every chapter starting with a concrete story of herself or someone else who has experienced the bitter side of life and come through with a renewed sense of wonder (and more stories in between).

I found myself wiping away tears of mingled sadness and admiration at the stories of resilience and the examples of life's inexplicable gifts. Such a compassionate and comforting book!

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent, August 22, 2002

By 

K. Churn "2lgit" (Warrensburg, MO United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Writing to Heal the Soul: Transforming Grief and Loss Through Writing (Paperback)

This book was incredibly helpful to me in dealing so many different types of loss and the grief that follows. Ms. Zimmerman's wonderful writing style really captured the true essence of loss and how to work through the turmoil. I was brought to tears a few times, but they really started to flow when I got the the last page where there is a quote for the Velveteen Rabbit. It basically said it all.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars most helpful book in my "loss library", May 15, 2009

By 

Cindy H. (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Writing to Heal the Soul: Transforming Grief and Loss Through Writing (Paperback)

The accessible structure of this book is what helped me the most. The short stories are pithy and moving--easy to read but full of life's complexities--and the directed writing exercises are straightforward and manageable when other things in life are not. Reading and writing from this book were all I felt like doing after losing my baby during pregnancy (I wasn't motivated to do anything before I got this book), and the experience gave me the ability to feel sad but also to heal and believe in life's richness again.

I have never written in a journal before and didn't know how to start or how to capture what I wanted to. This book gave me the confidence, direction, and inspiration to begin, and to keep going. The exercises range from revisiting the "point you realize your life will be forever changed" and just writing about it, to making lists of "people, things, rituals, and events that helped you most during loss...and that didn't help," and then writing about some of those things.

There are 28 chapters on specific topics, and each chapter is comprised of stories as well as between 1-3 writing exercises. Both the inspiring people Zimmermann writes about, and the exercises themselves, are limitless gifts that give and give during difficult times.