When Words Are Not Enough: creative responses to grief

Everyone grieves for someone at some point in their lives. But how do we deal with the silence that often surrounds grief? How do we find ways to express painful feelings when words are not enough?

This book explores creative responses to grief through 13 extraordinary individuals and a deeply personal and beautiful reflection on grief from authors Jane Harris and Jimmy Edmonds who draw on their own experience of loss, and how the death of their son has led to a creative response that is more than word bound.

Jane and Jimmy’s son Joshua was 22 when he died in the road accident in Vietnam in 2011. In the years that followed they founded The Good Grief Project, a UK based charity to support other bereaved families and to promote their understanding of grief as creative and active process. This book follows their journey. It also tells the story of 13 other bereaved people who have also found a creative response to their grief.

The emphasis on 'continuing bonds' and their own way of maintaining a relationship with Josh, is both emotional and practical. Echoed in the other case studies they illustrate how creativity can shape a future where the deceased still play a part even while physically absent and how this is a normal and restorative aspect of the grieving process. Grief can also be a wonderful educator with new discoveries to be had.

Jane Harris is a psychotherapist and bereavement specialist with over 30 years of experience in the NHS and private practice. She is also a grief educator and public speaker. Jimmy Edmonds is a photographer and documentary film editor with over 100 TV credits including the BAFTA winning Chosen for Channel 4 and his own personal film Breaking the Silence for BBC1. Together they make films including the award winning A Love That Never Dies and have founded The Good Grief Project with the mission of supporting families grieving after the untimely death of a loved one, particularly the death of a child. During the covid pandemic they produced Beyond the Mask, a 60 minute documentary exploring the many parallels between grief and the social anxieties produced by the lockdown. They like to promote a proactive approach to grief which they encourage on their regular Active Grief Weekend retreats. Both authors are based in the UK.