Terri Daniel - Turning the Corner on Grief Street: Loss and Bereavement as a Journey of Awakening

Loss and Bereavement as a Journey of Awakening

by Terri Daniel

with

Danny Mandell

Copyright 2014

Terri Daniel with Danny Mandell

All rights reserved.

Distributed by Smashwords

No part of this book may be used or reproduced by anymeans, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying,recording, taping or by any information storage retrieval systemwithout the written permission of the publisher except in the caseof brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

ISBN: 978-0-9623062-4-2

Cover design by Pamela J. Hunter

Ebook formatting by www.ebooklaunch.com

This book is for anyone interested in the journey ofthe soul, with a specific focus on metaphysical interpretations ofloss, trauma and bereavement. The grief process, while oftenpainful beyond comprehension, can provide a critical path to ahigher understanding of these experiences. The content in thesepages assumes that the reader is interested in looking beyond theshock, suffering and sorrow of grief toward a non-dualisticspiritual understanding of human experience.

The unconventional views expressed in these pages maynot be appropriate for those struggling with anger, guilt, fear orblame related to the death of a loved one.

This book is based on the author's spiritualexperiences and perceptions, and is not a substitute forprofessional grief counseling.

The names in the personal stories included here havebeen changed. Any similarity to real names and real persons ispurely coincidental.

Contents

"Terri Daniel offers new hope for the bereaved in hernew book Turning the Corner on Grief Street, which will helpguide grieving people from trauma to transformation."

Dr. Raymond Moody,best-selling author of "Life After Life,"

and one of the world's leading researchers onnear-death experiences

Grief Street takes bold steps in addressingthe positive aspects of bereavement rather than just the pain andsadness. Teachers like Terri can help our culture rise to a higherlevel of understanding death and loss; an understanding that shouldpermeate all levels of education, from kindergarten to medicalschool. Terri offers a new perspective on death and dying from thepoint of view of the bereaved and the deceased. Such aperspective leads us to a better understanding of the transition wecall 'death, and teaches us how to truly embrace life anddeath."

Dr. Joseph J. OConnell III

Director, Department of Emergency Medicine,

Virtua Hospital System, Camden, NJ

"Few people have the mystical, spiritual,theological, professional and personal perspective as Terri Danielto address the dynamic and life-changing experience of grief. Notonly does Turning the Corner on Grief Street encourage us toevaluate our conventional ways of thinking about the nature of God,life, loss and death, it also provides practical guidance forwalking the path of grief toward a more meaningful and satisfyingspiritual life."

Rev. Gene Lovelace, MDiv,

Alive Hospice, Nashville, TN.

"Terri gives us hope that we can continue inrelationship with our loved ones whose physical bodies have died.Human consciousness is evolving toward mind-to-mind communicationwhile we are yet in the physical, and Terri Daniel is one of thoseleading the way."

Rev. Dick Dinges, Hospice Chaplain,

Virginia Beach, VA.

"Terri is a gifted writer and teacher, and bringsprofound sensitivity to her work in the community as a spiritualeducator."

Lee Green, RN, MAT,Bereavement Specialist,

Covenant Hospice, Daphne, AL.

"Rev. Daniel provides an insightful, well-documentedperspective on something few of us have actually fully understood -the strong, positive transformative potential of the pain ofbereavement. We learn that grief is not only unavoidable, it isalso fundamental for our own growth and development."

Piero Calvi-Parisetti, MD, medical doctor,

psychotherapist and grief counselor

"Terri is an excellent writer, and her heart showsthrough in practical and loving ways. I am so grateful she haswritten the books she has, and feel privileged to have been aspeaker at her annual conference."

PMH Atwater, author and near-death researcher

"Terri dares her readers to do what they haveavoided. She challenges those who are willing to discuss the Dword" over dinner to turn what we believe into what we know.Anyone wondering about what comes next should read this provocativebook."

Sandy Goodman

Author of Love Never Dies:

A Mothers Journey from Loss to Love

Many thanks and blessings to

Austyn Wells, for wisdom beyond this world

Bruce Holsted, for generosity beyond this world

Carol Yurick, for steadfast awareness anddedication

Diane Goble, for coming back to tell about it

Dianne Purdie, for excellent proofreading

Eben Alexander MD, for introducing us to themainstream

Jordan Justice, MD, for going to medical school

Joseph O'Connell, DO, soul friend and healer

Karol Avalon, who showed up right on time

Kay Conover, an unexpected and extraordinaryteacher

Lori and Neil Shocket, MDs, for understanding thebody

Marilyn and Martin Rose, beloved forever

Pamela J. Hunter, for consistently gorgeous bookcovers

Piero Parisetti MD, for wisdom that spans thecontinents

Raymond Moody MD, for wisdom that spans the eons

Rev. Jose Garcia, for giving me a chance

Robert Henry, for giving it form and shape

Ron Parks, for support in the face of adversity

Siggie, who may actually read my books someday

Spootie the dog, for love that defiesdescription

Supporters of the Afterlife Conference, for makingit happen

The Afterlife Awareness Facebook group

The Mystic Misfits of Marylhurst

by Ron Parks

Grief Counselor and Facilitator for the

International Association of Near-Death Studies

I have been a member of The InternationalAssociation for Near Death Studies (IANDS) for more than adecade, and for most of those years I facilitated a near-deathstudy group in Salem, OR. My time with IANDS, my experience as agrief counselor and my study of near-death experiences has given mea unique viewpoint regarding grieving and the afterlife, as well ason reincarnation and related subjects.

Terri's brilliant metaphor about GriefStreet addresses what is known in professional circles as"complicated grief." Hospice counselors and other experts tell usthat when a griever remains "stuck" in one particular stage ofgrief for an extended period of time, the grieving process developscomplications, similar to what happens in medical terms when awound or illness becomes more serious. In those cases, it isimportant to mobilize additional resources to help the healingprocess resume. In terms of grief, this usually means approaching aspecialized counselor who can help get the grieving process back ontrack.

Dr. Elizabeth Kubler-Ross taught us thatthere are five stages of grief denial, anger, bargaining,depression and acceptance. She also taught that thegrief journey is neither predictable nor linear, and that grievingpersons progress at their own unique pace, depending on theirtemperament, the relationship to the deceased, belief systems andthe circumstances of the death. The bereaved visit and re-visit thefive stages in a fashion unique to each individual, and mostexperts concur that anger is the toughest hurdle.