About this item
No one is prepared for the loss of a child. No one. It feels completely unnatural for children to predecease their parents. Although it is not widely known, each year there are over 135,000 under 40-year-old deaths in the U.S. alone. And, according to one study, 19% of parents outlive their children - often carrying the weight of horrendous grief to their own graves."Isolated and alone" is how parents often describe the grief process. Well-meaning friends and family members usually rush to their side ... in the beginning. Once the floral arrangements have wilted, and the dinners from caring friends diminish, there isn't really much that can be said to bring comfort to a suffering parent, especially if those friends haven't experienced it themselves. Unfortunately, when these caring friends do bring up the loss, quite often they say the wrong things.Loss, Survive, Thrive offers a lifeline of hope. Each chapter is an inspirational story written by a parent who also experienced the agony of losing a child, reclaimed his/her vitality, and is now living a fulfilling life. Every story is authentic and heartfelt, designed to uplift and inspire. The collective authors reach out through the pages to virtually hold hands with those who are suffering. We, the contributors, have all been there. We know their pain, and we know about survival. And now, through our stories, we offer comfort and support in helping them get through the toughest time of their lives. Bereaved parents share an unspeakable bond. And Loss, Survive, Thrive imparts insight from what's likely the only voices that grieving parents can hear - others who have walked in their shoes. This book is a giant step toward healing the grieving heart.
About the Author
Meryl Hershey Beck, MA, M.Ed., spent her early professional life as a high school and community college teacher. In 1990 she became a licensed counselor specializing in 12-Step Recovery and eating disorders and soon designed and implemented a successful outpatient Food Abuse Treatment week. After she discovered energy techniques, Meryl began writing about and teaching energy modalities to mental health practitioners nationwide beginning in 1998. An authority in this field, she has presented at workshops and conferences internationally. Her first book, STOP EATING YOUR HEART OUT: The 21-Day Program to Free Yourself from Emotional Eating, tells her story and presents many tools to skyrocket personal growth and alleviate emotional eating. As a professional counselor, Meryl spent decades helping others integrate loss. But it wasn't until her 35-year-old son ended his life in 2011 that she fully understood deep grief. Meryl is the creator and developer of SourceTapping®, a meridian therapy technique that is like needle-less acupuncture, which helps to ease both physical and emotional pain. She uses this tool for herself, with bereaved clients, and now includes it in all her workshops. Although Meryl endured the hell of excruciating grief, she chose to face it rather than stuff it. And, she also made a conscious decision to recover and to honor her son's memory by living as full and rich a life as possible. She has been called a way-shower, or role model, demonstrating that a joyful life after significant loss is possible. Meryl collected stories from 26 other bereaved parents who are not just surviving but thriving, to give others hope that their lives don't have to end because of the tragedy they suffered. These stories (plus resources for the bereaved0 became the book LOSS, SURVIVE, THRIVE: Bereaved Parents Share Their Stories of Healing and Hope.Her blogs and event information can be found at www.StopEatingYourHeartOut.com, www.SourceTapping.com, and www.LossSurviveThrive.com/.
