Loss and Grief Recovery

Joyce Ashton, Dennis Ashton

Chapter 1: The Challenges of Our Numerous Losses
Loss of Parents/Suicide, Miscarriage/Stillborn and Infant Loss, Changing Jobs, Infertility and Adoption, Loss of Relationships/Divorce, Moving, Chronic/Terminal Illness, Loss of Child, Kinds of Loss, Loss Scale
Chapter 2: Our Struggle With the Diagnosis
The Unknown Diagnosis, Delayed Diagnosis, Testing, Professionals, Facing the Facts, Anticipatory Grief, Denial, Social Withdrawal, Relationship Changes, Services, When Do We Tell The Child, Accepting the Diagnosis
Chapter 3: Caring for our Child at Home
Social Needs, Outside Help, Respite or Foster Care, Hospitalization, Medical Costs, Doctors, Infant Programs, Equipment, Toys, Vision, Hearing and Speech, Home Therapy, Bathing and Dressing, Education, Mainstreaming/Inclusion, Discipline, Recreation, How Much Should the Child be Told? Should we Have Other Children?, Suggestions for Friends and Relatives, Other’s Fears, Friends For Your Child, Accepting Your New Life, An Attitude of Gratitude, The Loss
Chapter 4: Building Self-Esteem and Self-Worth
Self-Worth versus Self-Esteem, Unconditional Love and Acceptance, Identity, Negative Labels, Life Review, The Teen Years, View of Self, Gone to Soon
Chapter 5: Recognizing and Managing our Grief
Intellectually/Mentally, Spirituality, Physically and Emotionally, Shock/Numbness/ Disbelief and Denial, Hurt/Confusion and Anger, Depression and Hopelessness, Anxiety/Stress and Control, Longing/Yearning/Probing/Pinning and Searching, Bargaining/Wishes and Overactivity, Loss of Self/Disorientation/Disorganization, Withdrawal, Help With The Funeral, Grief Outline, Dimensions, Cycle of Anger and Guilt.
Chapter 6: Reconciliation of Our Loss: Adjusting, Acceptance, and Healing
Holidays and Special Occasions, Support Groups, How to Help Others Who are Grieving, Professional Marriage Counseling, Graphs Showing the Intensity of the Characteristics of Mourning
Chapter 7: Our Relationships/Other’s Reactions to our Loss
Communication, Touch, Men and Women are Different: Incongruent Grief, Surviving Siblings, How Do We Know if a Sibling Needs More Help? Humor/Equilibrium, Friends, Finding Meaning/Positive Attitude
Chapter 8: The Role of Spiritual Healing
Life’s Irony, Faith and Spiritual Injury, Differences in Faith and Grief, Differences in Spirituality and Religion, The Near Death Experience: (love/joy/knowledge, noise/tunnel/out of body, nonverbal communication/light and life review, dead relatives appear, brightness/beauty versus dull/gray, they must return, a time to die, choice or fate?) Children and Near Death Experience, Death Preparations, Making the Most Now, Before Death Dreams, Visions, Visitations, Impressions, My Own Impressions, After Death Dreams, Our Own Near Death Experience, Mind/Body/Soul, Psychology and Spirituality, The Final Power
Chapter 9: Other Considerations
Placement, Dealing With Seizures, Surviving Murder and Suicide
Appendices: Resources and Organizations
References