Transcending Loss (Paperback)

by Ashley Davis Prend (Author) "Your journey along the grief road actually began long, long ago, with your very first breath of life..." (more)
Key Phrases: one griever, other grievers, transcendent attitude, New York City, Dark Elegy, Grief Observed (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
An inspiring new approach to the lifelong process of grieving. The author asserts that death doesn't end the relationship, it simply forges a new type of relationship -- one based not on physical presence but on memory, spirit, and love.

A licensed psychotherapist and bereavement support specialist helps grievers deal with the ongoing impact of their loss -- and the attempt to transcend it.

"There are many wonderful grief books available that address acute grief and how to cope with it. But these books often focus on crisis management and imply that there is an 'end' to mourning. They essentially fail to address the issue of grief's ongoing impact, and how it changes through the years...

This is a book about death and grief, yes, but more importantly it is a book about love and hope. I have learned from [my interviews with] courageous people about pain, struggle, resiliency, and meaning. Their stories show that over time, you can learn to transcend even in spite of pain. We all get broken by life sooner or later because loss is the price we pay for living and loving. But experience shows that we can become stronger at the broken places and find the opportunity in crisis. I hope this book will help you move beyond grief and will guide you on your journey through time of healing and transcendence." -- From the introduction.

About the Author
Author Davis Prend, A.C.S.W., is a licensed psychotherapist and supervisor at the Center for Marital and Family Therapy in Manhattan. She also has a private practice, and is affiliated with St. Vincent's Hospital where she leads AIDS-related bereavement support groups. A frequent lecturer on the subject of bereavement at schools and professional conferences, she also leads general bereavement support groups at a local church and is an active member of the Association for Death Education and Counseling.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Berkley Trade; 1 edition (August 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 042515775X
• ISBN-13: 978-0425157756
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.1 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #36,363 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #80 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Death & Grief > Grief & Bereavement
  #85 in	Books > Health, Mind & Body > Psychology & Counseling > Developmental Psychology

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautifully written book about coping with loss, July 4, 1998

By	Anne Melvin "mystery lover" (Barrington, NH United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Ashley Prend has written a sensitive and well organized book that is good for clinicians and those coping with loss. Her clear delineation of the stages of grief and the hope she holds out that one can get through the stuck places and make loss meaningful stand out. She writes well and the structure of the book makes it easy to read. The message that one does not need to "get over" one's loss is an important one as is her SOAR solution for integrating the loss in one's life so that one can "get on with" life.

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A practical book that dignifies grief's lifelong process., June 28, 1998

By A Customer

Ashley Davis Prend makes a bold move to help people struggling with grief. No other authority has touched on the concept of how grief is processed for a life-time more comprehensively. Prend makes clear the fact that our quality of living is dramatically changed with each loss. She also points out that each of us make an individual choice in whether we use grief to resign from life or use it to design our life. In this book you will find useful information on how to deal with the early stages of loss, (acute grief) to how to reinvest in new ways of living that are meaningful and joyful. The only missing ingredient that I see is how to motivate grieving people to envision that possibility. Prend touches the wholistic concepts of body, mind, and spirit with her SOAR concepts. Many will find these practical ideas enough to help them make their transition from the negative aspects of grief and to transcend its holdf to a positive way of new found joy. The motivational aspect, which is a most critical first step, becomes a very minor omittance. Prend's book will be a cornerstone for a new type of grief therapy that provides honest, accurate, and truthful answers for all of us who suffer loss and for those who care for them. Prend's book is supberb.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful and hopeful without being trite, November 12, 2001

By	"mclipton" (Bethesda, MD USA) - See all my reviews

Along the lines of "When Bad Things Happen to Good People," this book can really helpful in allowing you work through your grief in a positive, healthy way.

I have experienced a great deal of loss in my life (parent, sister, husband) and -- at 34 years old -- am not one to swallow trite explanations like "everything happens for a reason." This book doesn't try to do that, but it does try to help you figure out how to go on with the rest of your life and find joy.

I would recommend it to anyone who is suffering a loss. It would make a very meaningful gift, as well.