Help Yourself
How to Survive Bereavement
Andrea Kon
How to Survive Bereavement is
another first-class addition to Hodder’s list of Help Yourself
books. (Perhaps I should declare an interest here because I am one of the
authors who contribute to this series!)
Only someone with a heart of
stone could read the opening chapter without being moved; in it the author
tells us of the time when her mother and husband died within twelve hours
of one another. So Andrea Kon really does know what it is like to be
bereaved.
Of course, grief is an
individual and very personal emotion, and the author acknowledges this.
She accepts too that everyone goes through the aftermath of the death of a
loved one at very different paces. The is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’
way about mourning.
There is a lot of wisdom in
this book and if you need good, straightforward information about what to
do after a death, you will find it here. There are lists of urgent
practicalities which must be attended to; anyone in the middle of sorting
out affairs will be pleased to have this by their side. Kon describes how
in her own distress she threw out bags of papers she found hard to
understand, and had to pay the price for this later.
You will read about the
different customs surrounding death and burial for each of the religions,
and there are checklists to help you gauge how you are coping with ‘letting
go’, so that in time you can move on - in a way, at least. Read the very
helpful chapter on how to support children when a loved sib, parent or
grandparent dies. Kon also discusses the wisdom of whether or not to let a
child attend a funeral.
There is a sobering chapter on
‘When a child dies’ - as the author says ‘there can be no greater
tragedy and no more devastating experience than losing a child’ - and
such topics as ‘What to do about sex’, ‘Psychic help’ and ‘Complementary
help’ are all covered in an easy to read format.
Above all, Kon recommends
getting professional help wherever it is offered. She particularly sings
the praise of the bereavement charity Cruise - and again this is from a
first-hand experience. Kon knows her stuff, and she has passed on her
considerable information in a way which will be appreciated by many at a
dark time in their lives.
©
Jill Curtis 2002
 published
by Hodder & Stoughton price £6.99
ISBN: 0340786248
and
available from
Other books in the Help
Yourself series:
come
alive
dynamic
menopause
ENJOY
YOUR TEENAGERS
find
your way though divorce
Get
Everything Done
Get the Happiness Habit
have
a happy and healthy retirement
Make
Love Work for You
Make Your Honeymoon Last
stop
fighting about money
YOUR KIDS, MY KIDS
WEIGHT
MANAGEMENT AND FITNESS THROUGH CHILDBIRTH
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