John E. Welshons - Awakening from Grief: Finding the Way Back to Joy

This book is exactly what you need to read to heal your aching heart ... it will feel like a warm shower running inside of you where coldness previously lived ... beautifully written!

DR. WAYNE W. DYER,

author, 10 Secrets for

Success and Inner Peace

A must read for the soul. If you are grieving, this book will comfort you. If not, it will prepare you for that which is not small stuff.

RICHARD CARLSON, PH.D.,

author, Dont Sweat the Small Stuff

Everyone experiences grief. My great friend John Welshons has insights that will source and serve you, get you through your pain, and mend your broken heart. I love the great thinking in this book!

MARK VICTOR HANSEN,

co-creator, Chicken Soup for the Soul series

Outstanding! ... Very moving ... Johns heart, his years of experience, and his expertise show through clearly on every page of this excellent book.

The path of grief is full of twists and turns. John accompanies the reader, torch in hand ... hand in hand ... along that path.

STEPHEN AND ONDREA LEVINE,

authors, A Year to Live, Who Dies?

Superb for healing a wounded heart!

HAROLD BLOOMFIELD, M.D.

author, How to Survive the Loss of a Love

This is a wonderful work that shows us all how we can listen, speak, and act from the heart. Simply put, it is an exquisite explanation of a simple truth: love heals. I recommend Johns book wholeheartedly for those who are going through their own grief, and those who care for them.

CHARLES GARFIELD, PH.D.,

professor, Department of Psychiatry,

University of California School of Medicine,

author, Sometimes My Heart Goes Numb

Great! Just Great! Thoughtfully researched, lucidly and sensitively written, with personal stories and perceptive images, Awakening from Grief is a life-affirming gift, affording understanding and solace to grieving hearts and inquiring minds.

RABBI EARL A. GROLLMAN, D.H.L., D.D.,

author,Living When a Loved One Has Died

Awakening from Grief is a personal journey with universal appeal. I highly recommend it for anyone who, after a loss, is seeking their own road back to joy.

ALLEN KLEIN,

author, The Courage to Laugh:

Humor, Hope and Healing in the Face of Death and Dying

Awakening from Grief is a powerful work laced with illustrative stories and gentle wisdom. It is a gift for the grieving.

KENNETH J. DOKA, PH.D.,

professor, The College of New Rochelle,

senior consultant, The Hospice Foundation of America

Inner Ocean Publishing, Inc.
P.O. Box 1239
Makawao, Maui, HI 96768-1239

Originally published by Open Heart Publications, 2000

Copyright 2003 by John E. Welshons

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any means or in any form whatsoever without written permission from the publisher, except for brief quotations embodied in literary articles or reviews.

This is a work of nonfiction based on the authors personal experiences, case studies, and interviews with people concerning experiences of loss and long-term grieving.

The author has changed the names and identifying characteristics of all persons whose case studies are included in the book to protect their privacy, except for those who consented to the use of their real names. Any similarity between fictitious names used and those of living persons is entirely coincidental.

Cover photograph: Picture Perfect
Cover typography design: Bill Greaves
Interior page typography design: Bill Greaves
Interior page compositor: Madonna Gauding
Copy editor: Kirsten Whatley

Publisher Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Welshons, John E.

Awakening from grief : finding the way back to joy / John E. Welshons.1st Inner Ocean ed.Makawao, HI : Inner Ocean, 2003.

p. ; cm.

Originally published: Awakening from grief : finding the road back to joy.

Little Falls, New Jersey : Open Heart Publications, 2000.

Includes bibliographical references.

ISBN 1-930722-18-4

1. Grief. 2. Mental healing. 3. BereavementPsychological aspects. 4. DeathPsychological aspects. 5. Loss (Psychology) I. Title.

BF575.G7 W45 2003

115.9/37dc21 0309 CIP

Printed in Canada by Transcontinental
Distributed by Publishers Group West

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

This book is dedicated with deepest gratitude to my parents, Flo and Al Welshons.

To Ram Dass, my brother, teacher, and friend, whose presence in my life has been a gracious gift from God.

To Meher Baba, who showed me who we truly are ... who taught me that real happiness lies in making others happy.

To Stephen and Ondrea Levine, my spiritual family, for teaching me about love and compassion. To Ondrea for being the original inspiration for this book.

To Charlie Garfield, whose clarity and insight opened my heart.

To Elisabeth Kubler-Ross, who with great compassion and wisdom helped us all to take our heads out of the sand.

To Allan Y. Cohen, whose simple prescription has served me well for thirty years.

To Tom Decker for being my spiritual brother all these years.

To Gary Horn for his incredible ability to turn loss and grief into growth and awareness ... and for being one of the greatest inspirations in my life.

To Patricia Hunt-Perry, for her steadfast friendship and for her enthusiasm and guidance.

To my sisters, Judy and Carole, who have shared their amazing capacities for love ... who have worked through the extraordinarily painful losses in their own lives with dignity, wisdom, and courage.

And to all those who have taught me, in one way or another, how to find the blessing in whatever life offers.

I N THE PAST, WHEN I HAVE SEEN THE FOLLOWING LIST IN BOOKS, I have never so fully understood its importance. But, quite clearly, this book could not have become what it is without the assistance of so many people who read early versions and gave generously of their time and wisdom. These are true friends who helped me shape this book into what it is today. This is their book as much as mine.