Author: Amanda
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 166322434X
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 383
Book Description
If you are experiencing alienation from your children and grandchildren, this is the book for you! It will be your Bible, your indispensable guide as you try to negotiate your way through some of the most difficult and heart-wrenching days of your life. Amanda is the world’s leading expert on grandparent alienation, and she has distilled into this book her years of experience and understanding as the tireless founder and indispensable leader of Alienated Grandparents Anonymous, the world’s largest organization of estranged grandparents desperate to see and be with their own grandchildren. It is the indispensable Bible for hurt and puzzled and distraught grandparents! ~ The Reverend Dr. John Killinger, author of From Poppy with Love: Letters from a Grandfather to the Grandchildren He Isn’t Allowed to See Amanda has provided a comprehensive and groundbreaking guide to the seemingly increasing intergenerational phenomenon of grandparents who are cut off from adult children and grandchildren. This is a must-read for anyone experiencing the grief, isolation, shame and trauma associated with such situations. By sharing selected experiences from grandparents in her own words along with what has been gleaned from experts in family estrangement, alienation, and legal approaches, Amanda brings light and hope to affected grandparents. Themes of bravery, understanding, encouragement, hope, and ultimate love of family enduring amid impossible circumstances are present throughout this pioneering book. ~ Carol Hosmer Golly, PhD, PL, MSW, LCSW, RPTS, Child/Adolescent Family Therapist Amanda is a leader and unique voice in the movement to bring help, healing and awareness for those dealing with the trauma of being an alienated grandparent. In her book, she brings her years of experience, reading, and advocacy to help the thousands of grandparents suffering with the profound pain being cut off from contact with their grandchildren. She has probably talked to and reached more alienated grandparents than anyone I know and it shows in her new book. Highly recommended. ~ Dr. Joshua Coleman, author, When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don’t Get Along (HarperCollins).
I Thought I Was the Only One: Grandparent Alienation: a Global Epidemic
Author: Amanda
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 166322434X
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 383
Book Description
If you are experiencing alienation from your children and grandchildren, this is the book for you! It will be your Bible, your indispensable guide as you try to negotiate your way through some of the most difficult and heart-wrenching days of your life. Amanda is the world’s leading expert on grandparent alienation, and she has distilled into this book her years of experience and understanding as the tireless founder and indispensable leader of Alienated Grandparents Anonymous, the world’s largest organization of estranged grandparents desperate to see and be with their own grandchildren. It is the indispensable Bible for hurt and puzzled and distraught grandparents! ~ The Reverend Dr. John Killinger, author of From Poppy with Love: Letters from a Grandfather to the Grandchildren He Isn’t Allowed to See Amanda has provided a comprehensive and groundbreaking guide to the seemingly increasing intergenerational phenomenon of grandparents who are cut off from adult children and grandchildren. This is a must-read for anyone experiencing the grief, isolation, shame and trauma associated with such situations. By sharing selected experiences from grandparents in her own words along with what has been gleaned from experts in family estrangement, alienation, and legal approaches, Amanda brings light and hope to affected grandparents. Themes of bravery, understanding, encouragement, hope, and ultimate love of family enduring amid impossible circumstances are present throughout this pioneering book. ~ Carol Hosmer Golly, PhD, PL, MSW, LCSW, RPTS, Child/Adolescent Family Therapist Amanda is a leader and unique voice in the movement to bring help, healing and awareness for those dealing with the trauma of being an alienated grandparent. In her book, she brings her years of experience, reading, and advocacy to help the thousands of grandparents suffering with the profound pain being cut off from contact with their grandchildren. She has probably talked to and reached more alienated grandparents than anyone I know and it shows in her new book. Highly recommended. ~ Dr. Joshua Coleman, author, When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don’t Get Along (HarperCollins).
Publisher: iUniverse
ISBN: 166322434X
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 383
Book Description
If you are experiencing alienation from your children and grandchildren, this is the book for you! It will be your Bible, your indispensable guide as you try to negotiate your way through some of the most difficult and heart-wrenching days of your life. Amanda is the world’s leading expert on grandparent alienation, and she has distilled into this book her years of experience and understanding as the tireless founder and indispensable leader of Alienated Grandparents Anonymous, the world’s largest organization of estranged grandparents desperate to see and be with their own grandchildren. It is the indispensable Bible for hurt and puzzled and distraught grandparents! ~ The Reverend Dr. John Killinger, author of From Poppy with Love: Letters from a Grandfather to the Grandchildren He Isn’t Allowed to See Amanda has provided a comprehensive and groundbreaking guide to the seemingly increasing intergenerational phenomenon of grandparents who are cut off from adult children and grandchildren. This is a must-read for anyone experiencing the grief, isolation, shame and trauma associated with such situations. By sharing selected experiences from grandparents in her own words along with what has been gleaned from experts in family estrangement, alienation, and legal approaches, Amanda brings light and hope to affected grandparents. Themes of bravery, understanding, encouragement, hope, and ultimate love of family enduring amid impossible circumstances are present throughout this pioneering book. ~ Carol Hosmer Golly, PhD, PL, MSW, LCSW, RPTS, Child/Adolescent Family Therapist Amanda is a leader and unique voice in the movement to bring help, healing and awareness for those dealing with the trauma of being an alienated grandparent. In her book, she brings her years of experience, reading, and advocacy to help the thousands of grandparents suffering with the profound pain being cut off from contact with their grandchildren. She has probably talked to and reached more alienated grandparents than anyone I know and it shows in her new book. Highly recommended. ~ Dr. Joshua Coleman, author, When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don’t Get Along (HarperCollins).
I Thought I Was the Only One
Author: Amanda
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781663224330
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 386
Book Description
If you are experiencing alienation from your children and grandchildren, this is the book for you! It will be your Bible, your indispensable guide as you try to negotiate your way through some of the most difficult and heart-wrenching days of your life. Amanda is the world's leading expert on grandparent alienation, and she has distilled into this book her years of experience and understanding as the tireless founder and indispensable leader of Alienated Grandparents Anonymous, the world's largest organization of estranged grandparents desperate to see and be with their own grandchildren. It is the indispensable Bible for hurt and puzzled and distraught grandparents! ~ The Reverend Dr. John Killinger, author of From Poppy with Love: Letters from a Grandfather to the Grandchildren He Isn't Allowed to See Amanda has provided a comprehensive and groundbreaking guide to the seemingly increasing intergenerational phenomenon of grandparents who are cut off from adult children and grandchildren. This is a must-read for anyone experiencing the grief, isolation, shame and trauma associated with such situations. By sharing selected experiences from grandparents in her own words along with what has been gleaned from experts in family estrangement, alienation, and legal approaches, Amanda brings light and hope to affected grandparents. Themes of bravery, understanding, encouragement, hope, and ultimate love of family enduring amid impossible circumstances are present throughout this pioneering book. ~ Carol Hosmer Golly, PhD, PL, MSW, LCSW, RPTS, Child/Adolescent Family TherapistAmanda is a leader and unique voice in the movement to bring help, healing and awareness for those dealing with the trauma of being an alienated grandparent. In her book, she brings her years of experience, reading, and advocacy to help the thousands of grandparents suffering with the profound pain being cut off from contact with their grandchildren. She has probably talked to and reached more alienated grandparents than anyone I know and it shows in her new book. Highly recommended.~ Dr. Joshua Coleman, author, When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don't Get Along (HarperCollins).
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781663224330
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 386
Book Description
If you are experiencing alienation from your children and grandchildren, this is the book for you! It will be your Bible, your indispensable guide as you try to negotiate your way through some of the most difficult and heart-wrenching days of your life. Amanda is the world's leading expert on grandparent alienation, and she has distilled into this book her years of experience and understanding as the tireless founder and indispensable leader of Alienated Grandparents Anonymous, the world's largest organization of estranged grandparents desperate to see and be with their own grandchildren. It is the indispensable Bible for hurt and puzzled and distraught grandparents! ~ The Reverend Dr. John Killinger, author of From Poppy with Love: Letters from a Grandfather to the Grandchildren He Isn't Allowed to See Amanda has provided a comprehensive and groundbreaking guide to the seemingly increasing intergenerational phenomenon of grandparents who are cut off from adult children and grandchildren. This is a must-read for anyone experiencing the grief, isolation, shame and trauma associated with such situations. By sharing selected experiences from grandparents in her own words along with what has been gleaned from experts in family estrangement, alienation, and legal approaches, Amanda brings light and hope to affected grandparents. Themes of bravery, understanding, encouragement, hope, and ultimate love of family enduring amid impossible circumstances are present throughout this pioneering book. ~ Carol Hosmer Golly, PhD, PL, MSW, LCSW, RPTS, Child/Adolescent Family TherapistAmanda is a leader and unique voice in the movement to bring help, healing and awareness for those dealing with the trauma of being an alienated grandparent. In her book, she brings her years of experience, reading, and advocacy to help the thousands of grandparents suffering with the profound pain being cut off from contact with their grandchildren. She has probably talked to and reached more alienated grandparents than anyone I know and it shows in her new book. Highly recommended.~ Dr. Joshua Coleman, author, When Parents Hurt: Compassionate Strategies When You and Your Grown Child Don't Get Along (HarperCollins).
I Thought I Was the Only One
Author: Mohamed Akhouna Alaoui
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 120
Book Description
A Global Epidemic is a comprehensive and groundbreaking guide to the seemingly increasing intergenerational phenomenon of grandparents who are cut off from adult children and grandchildren This is a must-read for anyone experiencing the grief, isolation, shame and trauma associated with such situations. By sharing selected experiences from grandparents in their own words along with what has been gleaned from experts in family Size : 6*9
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 120
Book Description
A Global Epidemic is a comprehensive and groundbreaking guide to the seemingly increasing intergenerational phenomenon of grandparents who are cut off from adult children and grandchildren This is a must-read for anyone experiencing the grief, isolation, shame and trauma associated with such situations. By sharing selected experiences from grandparents in their own words along with what has been gleaned from experts in family Size : 6*9
Banished
Author: Nancy Lee Klune
Publisher: Balboa Press
ISBN: 1982213876
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 189
Book Description
For author Nancy Lee Klune, the nightmare began with a phone call from a stranger. The man, who identified himself as a family therapist, informed her that her son and daughter-in-law had decided that she was to have no further contact with them or their four children. This call set in motion a ten year journey of deep pain, emotional turmoil, and personal growth as she found ways to cope with this indescribable loss. Each inspirational chapter in Banished explores the dilemmas and challenges facing alienated parents and grandparents. Woven throughout are intensely personal accounts of the author’s own healing along with practical advice for those who suffer from family estrangement. She shares her process of healing, discussing everything from acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, self-love, and the importance of letting go and honoring your own life. She reveals how she found joy and happiness again, despite the vacuum created by the absence of her adult child and grandchildren. Providing both straightforward assistance and much-needed empathy for those facing family alienation and estrangement, this book helps you move forward, while offering tools for healing and creating more love and peace in your life.
Publisher: Balboa Press
ISBN: 1982213876
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 189
Book Description
For author Nancy Lee Klune, the nightmare began with a phone call from a stranger. The man, who identified himself as a family therapist, informed her that her son and daughter-in-law had decided that she was to have no further contact with them or their four children. This call set in motion a ten year journey of deep pain, emotional turmoil, and personal growth as she found ways to cope with this indescribable loss. Each inspirational chapter in Banished explores the dilemmas and challenges facing alienated parents and grandparents. Woven throughout are intensely personal accounts of the author’s own healing along with practical advice for those who suffer from family estrangement. She shares her process of healing, discussing everything from acceptance, forgiveness, gratitude, self-love, and the importance of letting go and honoring your own life. She reveals how she found joy and happiness again, despite the vacuum created by the absence of her adult child and grandchildren. Providing both straightforward assistance and much-needed empathy for those facing family alienation and estrangement, this book helps you move forward, while offering tools for healing and creating more love and peace in your life.
Invisible Grandparenting
Author: Pat Hanson
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781935530831
Category : Families
Languages : en
Pages : 178
Book Description
"There are millions who, because of personality conflicts, custody issues, distance, or consequences of choices made long ago, have no way to pass values and memories to those who mean the most to them. Born of one woman's quest to become part of the lives of two grandchildren she has been kept from seeing, Invisible Grandparenting provides a blueprint for "virtual grandparenting." Using letter writing as a primary tool, it is a handbook for communicating tangible and intangible gifts to our young ones. Discover how to transcend invisibility, heal separation, and transform negative energy to forgiveness."--Page 4 of cover.
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781935530831
Category : Families
Languages : en
Pages : 178
Book Description
"There are millions who, because of personality conflicts, custody issues, distance, or consequences of choices made long ago, have no way to pass values and memories to those who mean the most to them. Born of one woman's quest to become part of the lives of two grandchildren she has been kept from seeing, Invisible Grandparenting provides a blueprint for "virtual grandparenting." Using letter writing as a primary tool, it is a handbook for communicating tangible and intangible gifts to our young ones. Discover how to transcend invisibility, heal separation, and transform negative energy to forgiveness."--Page 4 of cover.
Fault Lines
Author: Karl Pillemer, Ph.D.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593539133
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
Real solutions to a hidden epidemic: family estrangement. Estrangement from a family member is one of the most painful life experiences. It is devastating not only to the individuals directly involved--collateral damage can extend upward, downward, and across generations, More than 65 million Americans suffer such rifts, yet little guidance exists on how to cope with and overcome them. In this book, Karl Pillemer combines the advice of people who have successfully reconciled with powerful insights from social science research. The result is a unique guide to mending fractured families. Fault Lines shares for the first time findings from Dr. Pillemer's ten-year groundbreaking Cornell Reconciliation Project, based on the first national survey on estrangement; rich, in-depth interviews with hundreds of people who have experienced it; and insights from leading family researchers and therapists. He assures people who are estranged, and those who care about them, that they are not alone and that fissures can be bridged. Through the wisdom of people who have "been there," Fault Lines shows how healing is possible through clear steps that people can use right away in their own families. It addresses such questions as: How do rifts begin? What makes estrangement so painful? Why is it so often triggered by a single event? Are you ready to reconcile? How can you overcome past hurts to build a new future with a relative? Tackling a subject that is achingly familiar to almost everyone, especially in an era when powerful outside forces such as technology and mobility are lessening family cohesion, Dr. Pillemer combines dramatic stories, science-based guidance, and practical repair tools to help people find the path to reconciliation.
Publisher: Penguin
ISBN: 0593539133
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 289
Book Description
Real solutions to a hidden epidemic: family estrangement. Estrangement from a family member is one of the most painful life experiences. It is devastating not only to the individuals directly involved--collateral damage can extend upward, downward, and across generations, More than 65 million Americans suffer such rifts, yet little guidance exists on how to cope with and overcome them. In this book, Karl Pillemer combines the advice of people who have successfully reconciled with powerful insights from social science research. The result is a unique guide to mending fractured families. Fault Lines shares for the first time findings from Dr. Pillemer's ten-year groundbreaking Cornell Reconciliation Project, based on the first national survey on estrangement; rich, in-depth interviews with hundreds of people who have experienced it; and insights from leading family researchers and therapists. He assures people who are estranged, and those who care about them, that they are not alone and that fissures can be bridged. Through the wisdom of people who have "been there," Fault Lines shows how healing is possible through clear steps that people can use right away in their own families. It addresses such questions as: How do rifts begin? What makes estrangement so painful? Why is it so often triggered by a single event? Are you ready to reconcile? How can you overcome past hurts to build a new future with a relative? Tackling a subject that is achingly familiar to almost everyone, especially in an era when powerful outside forces such as technology and mobility are lessening family cohesion, Dr. Pillemer combines dramatic stories, science-based guidance, and practical repair tools to help people find the path to reconciliation.
A Son Is a Son Till He Gets a Wife: How Toxic Daughters-In-Law Destroy Families
Author: Anne Kathryn Killinger
Publisher: Angel Bks
ISBN: 9781887730136
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 230
Book Description
I know this is a curious title, and people who have never experienced the rejection of a son at his wife's behest won't understand it. But those who have been through this experience--whose sons have married and turned against them as if they were dirt after all the years of love and care the parents gave them-will rejoice at finding this book and knowing they aren't alone. Actually, the desertion of parents by married sons is not uncommon. Would that it were! Almost every psychologist or counselor with whom I have talked knows of several instances in which it has happened. They speak of the great sorrow and agitation of the parents, mother and father alike, who can't understand why a child has turned against them. ANNE KATHRYN KILLINGER has been a concert pianist, a college professor, a Parisian model, and the wife of a widely known clergyman. She has lived in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Birmingham, Paris, and Oxford, and now resides near Washington, DC. She is also the author of An Inner Journey to Christmas and An Inner Journey to Easter, as well as the novels, Pendleton Farm and Rachel Remembers.
Publisher: Angel Bks
ISBN: 9781887730136
Category : Family & Relationships
Languages : en
Pages : 230
Book Description
I know this is a curious title, and people who have never experienced the rejection of a son at his wife's behest won't understand it. But those who have been through this experience--whose sons have married and turned against them as if they were dirt after all the years of love and care the parents gave them-will rejoice at finding this book and knowing they aren't alone. Actually, the desertion of parents by married sons is not uncommon. Would that it were! Almost every psychologist or counselor with whom I have talked knows of several instances in which it has happened. They speak of the great sorrow and agitation of the parents, mother and father alike, who can't understand why a child has turned against them. ANNE KATHRYN KILLINGER has been a concert pianist, a college professor, a Parisian model, and the wife of a widely known clergyman. She has lived in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Nashville, Birmingham, Paris, and Oxford, and now resides near Washington, DC. She is also the author of An Inner Journey to Christmas and An Inner Journey to Easter, as well as the novels, Pendleton Farm and Rachel Remembers.
Albion's Seed
Author: David Hackett Fischer
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019974369X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 981
Book Description
This fascinating book is the first volume in a projected cultural history of the United States, from the earliest English settlements to our own time. It is a history of American folkways as they have changed through time, and it argues a thesis about the importance for the United States of having been British in its cultural origins. While most people in the United States today have no British ancestors, they have assimilated regional cultures which were created by British colonists, even while preserving ethnic identities at the same time. In this sense, nearly all Americans are "Albion's Seed," no matter what their ethnicity may be. The concluding section of this remarkable book explores the ways that regional cultures have continued to dominate national politics from 1789 to 1988, and still help to shape attitudes toward education, government, gender, and violence, on which differences between American regions are greater than between European nations.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 019974369X
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 981
Book Description
This fascinating book is the first volume in a projected cultural history of the United States, from the earliest English settlements to our own time. It is a history of American folkways as they have changed through time, and it argues a thesis about the importance for the United States of having been British in its cultural origins. While most people in the United States today have no British ancestors, they have assimilated regional cultures which were created by British colonists, even while preserving ethnic identities at the same time. In this sense, nearly all Americans are "Albion's Seed," no matter what their ethnicity may be. The concluding section of this remarkable book explores the ways that regional cultures have continued to dominate national politics from 1789 to 1988, and still help to shape attitudes toward education, government, gender, and violence, on which differences between American regions are greater than between European nations.
A Precious Bond
Author: Susan Hoffman
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780979916816
Category : Grandchildren
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780979916816
Category : Grandchildren
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Book Description
Ambiguous Loss
Author: Pauline BOSS
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674028589
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 166
Book Description
When a loved one dies we mourn our loss. We take comfort in the rituals that mark the passing, and we turn to those around us for support. But what happens when there is no closure, when a family member or a friend who may be still alive is lost to us nonetheless? How, for example, does the mother whose soldier son is missing in action, or the family of an Alzheimer's patient who is suffering from severe dementia, deal with the uncertainty surrounding this kind of loss? In this sensitive and lucid account, Pauline Boss explains that, all too often, those confronted with such ambiguous loss fluctuate between hope and hopelessness. Suffered too long, these emotions can deaden feeling and make it impossible for people to move on with their lives. Yet the central message of this book is that they can move on. Drawing on her research and clinical experience, Boss suggests strategies that can cushion the pain and help families come to terms with their grief. Her work features the heartening narratives of those who cope with ambiguous loss and manage to leave their sadness behind, including those who have lost family members to divorce, immigration, adoption, chronic mental illness, and brain injury. With its message of hope, this eloquent book offers guidance and understanding to those struggling to regain their lives. Table of Contents: 1. Frozen Grief 2. Leaving without Goodbye 3. Goodbye without Leaving 4. Mixed Emotions 5. Ups and Downs 6. The Family Gamble 7. The Turning Point 8. Making Sense out of Ambiguity 9. The Benefit of a Doubt Notes Acknowledgments Reviews of this book: You will find yourself thinking about the issues discussed in this book long after you put it down and perhaps wishing you had extra copies for friends and family members who might benefit from knowing that their sorrows are not unique...This book's value lies in its giving a name to a force many of us will confront--sadly, more than once--and providing personal stories based on 20 years of interviews and research. --Pamela Gerhardt, Washington Post Reviews of this book: A compassionate exploration of the effects of ambiguous loss and how those experiencing it handle this most devastating of losses ... Boss's approach is to encourage families to talk together, to reach a consensus about how to mourn that which has been lost and how to celebrate that which remains. Her simple stories of families doing just that contain lessons for all. Insightful, practical, and refreshingly free of psychobabble. --Kirkus Review Reviews of this book: Engagingly written and richly rewarding, this title presents what Boss has learned from many years of treating individuals and families suffering from uncertain or incomplete loss...The obvious depth of the author's understanding of sufferers of ambiguous loss and the facility with which she communicates that understanding make this a book to be recommended. --R. R. Cornellius, Choice Reviews of this book: Written for a wide readership, the concepts of ambiguous loss take immediate form through the many provocative examples and stories Boss includes, All readers will find stories with which they will relate...Sensitive, grounded and practical, this book should, in my estimation, be required reading for family practitioners. --Ted Bowman, Family Forum Reviews of this book: Dr. Boss describes [the] all-too-common phenomenon [of unresolved grief] as resulting from either of two circumstances: when the lost person is still physically present but emotionally absent or when the lost person is physically absent but still emotionally present. In addition to senility, physical presence but psychological absence may result, for example, when a person is suffering from a serious mental disorder like schizophrenia or depression or debilitating neurological damage from an accident or severe stroke, when a person abuses drugs or alcohol, when a child is autistic or when a spouse is a workaholic who is not really 'there' even when he or she is at home...Cases of physical absence with continuing psychological presence typically occur when a soldier is missing in action, when a child disappears and is not found, when a former lover or spouse is still very much missed, when a child 'loses' a parent to divorce or when people are separated from their loved ones by immigration...Professionals familiar with Dr. Boss's work emphasised that people suffering from ambiguous loss were not mentally ill, but were just stuck and needed help getting past the barrier or unresolved grief so that they could get on with their lives. --Asian Age Combining her talents as a compassionate family therapist and a creative researcher, Pauline Boss eloquently shows the many and complex ways that people can cope with the inevitable losses in contemporary family life. A wise book, and certain to become a classic. --Constance R. Ahrons, author of The Good Divorce A powerful and healing book. Families experiencing ambiguous loss will find strategies for seeing what aspects of their loved ones remain, and for understanding and grieving what they have lost. Pauline Boss offers us both insight and clarity. --Kathy Weingarten, Ph.D, The Family Institute of Cambridge, Harvard Medical School
Publisher: Harvard University Press
ISBN: 0674028589
Category : Psychology
Languages : en
Pages : 166
Book Description
When a loved one dies we mourn our loss. We take comfort in the rituals that mark the passing, and we turn to those around us for support. But what happens when there is no closure, when a family member or a friend who may be still alive is lost to us nonetheless? How, for example, does the mother whose soldier son is missing in action, or the family of an Alzheimer's patient who is suffering from severe dementia, deal with the uncertainty surrounding this kind of loss? In this sensitive and lucid account, Pauline Boss explains that, all too often, those confronted with such ambiguous loss fluctuate between hope and hopelessness. Suffered too long, these emotions can deaden feeling and make it impossible for people to move on with their lives. Yet the central message of this book is that they can move on. Drawing on her research and clinical experience, Boss suggests strategies that can cushion the pain and help families come to terms with their grief. Her work features the heartening narratives of those who cope with ambiguous loss and manage to leave their sadness behind, including those who have lost family members to divorce, immigration, adoption, chronic mental illness, and brain injury. With its message of hope, this eloquent book offers guidance and understanding to those struggling to regain their lives. Table of Contents: 1. Frozen Grief 2. Leaving without Goodbye 3. Goodbye without Leaving 4. Mixed Emotions 5. Ups and Downs 6. The Family Gamble 7. The Turning Point 8. Making Sense out of Ambiguity 9. The Benefit of a Doubt Notes Acknowledgments Reviews of this book: You will find yourself thinking about the issues discussed in this book long after you put it down and perhaps wishing you had extra copies for friends and family members who might benefit from knowing that their sorrows are not unique...This book's value lies in its giving a name to a force many of us will confront--sadly, more than once--and providing personal stories based on 20 years of interviews and research. --Pamela Gerhardt, Washington Post Reviews of this book: A compassionate exploration of the effects of ambiguous loss and how those experiencing it handle this most devastating of losses ... Boss's approach is to encourage families to talk together, to reach a consensus about how to mourn that which has been lost and how to celebrate that which remains. Her simple stories of families doing just that contain lessons for all. Insightful, practical, and refreshingly free of psychobabble. --Kirkus Review Reviews of this book: Engagingly written and richly rewarding, this title presents what Boss has learned from many years of treating individuals and families suffering from uncertain or incomplete loss...The obvious depth of the author's understanding of sufferers of ambiguous loss and the facility with which she communicates that understanding make this a book to be recommended. --R. R. Cornellius, Choice Reviews of this book: Written for a wide readership, the concepts of ambiguous loss take immediate form through the many provocative examples and stories Boss includes, All readers will find stories with which they will relate...Sensitive, grounded and practical, this book should, in my estimation, be required reading for family practitioners. --Ted Bowman, Family Forum Reviews of this book: Dr. Boss describes [the] all-too-common phenomenon [of unresolved grief] as resulting from either of two circumstances: when the lost person is still physically present but emotionally absent or when the lost person is physically absent but still emotionally present. In addition to senility, physical presence but psychological absence may result, for example, when a person is suffering from a serious mental disorder like schizophrenia or depression or debilitating neurological damage from an accident or severe stroke, when a person abuses drugs or alcohol, when a child is autistic or when a spouse is a workaholic who is not really 'there' even when he or she is at home...Cases of physical absence with continuing psychological presence typically occur when a soldier is missing in action, when a child disappears and is not found, when a former lover or spouse is still very much missed, when a child 'loses' a parent to divorce or when people are separated from their loved ones by immigration...Professionals familiar with Dr. Boss's work emphasised that people suffering from ambiguous loss were not mentally ill, but were just stuck and needed help getting past the barrier or unresolved grief so that they could get on with their lives. --Asian Age Combining her talents as a compassionate family therapist and a creative researcher, Pauline Boss eloquently shows the many and complex ways that people can cope with the inevitable losses in contemporary family life. A wise book, and certain to become a classic. --Constance R. Ahrons, author of The Good Divorce A powerful and healing book. Families experiencing ambiguous loss will find strategies for seeing what aspects of their loved ones remain, and for understanding and grieving what they have lost. Pauline Boss offers us both insight and clarity. --Kathy Weingarten, Ph.D, The Family Institute of Cambridge, Harvard Medical School