Synopsis
Describes normal and unresolved grief, offers advice on what to do when prolonged grief turns into depression, and explains how grief can be a vehicle for growth
Reviews
"The power of unsolved grief" may come not only from death but from change and the pain of losing even that which has caused unhappiness, contends Univeristy of Virginia Medical Center psychiatrist Volkan. Writing with freelancer Zintl and drawing on his own experience and that of others, such as the "complicated" mourning undergone by those close to AIDS victims, Volkan traces bereaved people's progress from denial to acceptance and the necessary "work of mourning" meant to prepare them for reimmersion in life. Therapeutic measures for the bereaved and the people who seek to help them conclude this original and not overly technical approach to surviving grief.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
A psychiatrist reveals what he's learned about how we mourn- -and what happens when we can't. With the assistance of journalist Zintl, Volkan (Psychiatry/University of Virginia Medical Center) details how we deal with what he calls ``uncomplicated'' mourning--the psychological response to the tolerable loss of someone with whom we had little unfinished business. In successful mourning, there is movement from denial to acceptance, followed by an assessment of the relationship with the lost one and a letting-go. Mourning that doesn't progress normally is termed ``complicated'' by Volkan, who looks at the factors that lead to it, such as unfinished business with the deceased, unresolved past losses, external circumstances, and one's particular emotional makeup. Case studies from the author's practice illustrate how people may become stuck in denial, be unable to resolve their loss, and be plunged into depression. Volkan shares his views on how to help the relatively few who require psychotherapy in dealing with grief. He cautions against emotion-muffling drugs and offers his own program of ``regrief'' therapy--a brief but intense form of treatment utilizing objects such as photographs or personal possessions that link the patient to the lost one. But although Volkan directs his words not just to those experiencing grief but also to bereavement counselors and care givers, the information on grief therapy, and specifically on his own regrief therapy, is too scanty to provide much guidance. In a final chapter, the author touches on the link between mourning and creativity. Volkan offers some understanding of a universal human experience, but his therapeutic advice is too brief to be truly useful. -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
Volkan, a psychiatrist at the University of Virginia Medical Center, and journalist Zintl analyze our various responses to loss. Their book's first section explores uncomplicated mourning, beginning with the mourner's immediate response to death, followed by his or her assessment and review of the relationship with the deceased, and ending when the mourner moves on from the loss. The second section uses case studies to illustrate complicated mourning and the risk factors that predispose one to it. These include the mourner's experience with past loss(es), his or her emotional ability to tolerate separation, and the particular nature of the relationship between the mourner and the deceased. The final section discusses the use of brief psychotherapy in resolving complicated mourning. This straightforward book will interest the professional and lay reader alike. For most libraries.
- Bonnie Hoffman, Stony Brook, N.Y.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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