Personal Development & Self-help - Body Mind & Spirit > Death and Dying and Bereavement

Dr Yalom argues that once we confront our own mortality, we are inspired to rearrange our priorities, communicate more deeply with those we love, appreciate more keenly the beauty of life, and increase our willingness to take the risks necessary for personal fulfillment.

The book has been written to help anyone who is dying from cancer or other terminal illness. Drawing on years of practical experience as counsellors in the field, Sue Wood and Peter Fox discuss what they and others have found happening in the terminal stages of illness - what the dying person can expect, what others have found important to do - and generally how to respond positively and practically to situations that are likely to arise on this difficult journey. The authors also address those involved in the day-to-day care and n... read more

Death is part of all our lives - the deaths of people we love, the experience of terminal illness, the grief of friends or family. Yet we tend to speak of it with difficulty. And we know little about death in other cultures - what rituals are sustaining, what might cause distress, or what is appropriate in medical procedure. Last Words is a short book about ways of acknowledging death in the different cultures and religions currently in New Zealand. While it is designed for use by people working with the dying and the bereaved,... read more

Out of Print and Not Available - but we are hoping for a reprint of this wonderful book We experience grief and loss for many reasons: death, separation, divorce, redundancy, illness and through many other major life changes. Pam Heaney's thorough and perceptive exploration of grief is a book that will truly help us help ourselves and others.Sensible, clear and caring in tone, the author explains how we express grief via our cultural and family conditioning, much of which is based on inadequate stereotypes and myths. In debunkin... read more

Here is a book full of practical ideas to help you or somebody you know move through grief.

Perhaps Deepak Chopra's most ambitious project to date, Life After Death: The Book of Answers addresses one of the fundamental questions of human existence which touches every one of us. Life After Death: The Book of Answers is a fascinating mix of personal reflection and anecdotes combined with Deepak Chopra's trademark investigations through the prism of subatomic physics. Inspired to write this book by the death of his own mother in the summer of 2005, Deepak Chopra sets out to prove that the soul or consciousness survives aft... read more

Teenagers experience loss in all kinds of ways. Whether it's the death of a grandparent, pet or school friend, a teen fatality, a peer with terminal illness, living without a mum or dad, or the death of a celebrity, like everyone else teenagers also struggle to come to terms with their shock and grief. Full of helpful tips, stories and gentle advice, Sometimes Life Sucks helps teens navigate the loss of those they love.

There is no profession more indispensable to the community than the funeral director. It is a calling that demands our respect and confidence. It is also one we'd prefer to pretend did not exist. Yet one way or the other, all of us will eventually meet the man in the black mourning suit or the lady in white - although we'll do just about anything to avoid it. So what really does happen when our time has come? Jim Eames goes behind the closed doors of Australia's funeral industry. He takes us from the mortuary to the graveside, and ... read more

The author of No Time to Say Goodbye and a leading clinician draws on original research to provide compassionate advice for readers affected by suicide, addressing a wide range of questions including the possible genetic tendency toward suicide, the relationship between suicide and depression, and the role of medication in preventing or causing suicide. Whether you are struggling with fresh grief at a loved one's death by suicide or your loss happened years ago, you should know that you are not alone. 5 million Americans are aff... read more

Graceful Exits offers valuable guidance in the form of 108 stories recounting the ways in which Hindu, Tibetan Buddhist, and Zen masters, both ancient and modern, have confronted their own deaths. By directly presenting the grace, clarity, and even humour with which great spiritual teachers have met the end of their days, Blackman provides inspiration and nourishment to anyone truly concerned with the fundamental issues of life and death. First published 1997.

FACE IT. WE CAN GO ANYTIME. BUT IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS Death becomes you, and it's just another fact of life explored in "Cause of Death," a revealing abundance of startling data, false perceptions, bizarre fallacies, and some totally unexpected statistics about how, why, when, and where we all bite the dust, check out, buy the farm, kick the bucket, and all those other euphemisms for perishing after falling out of bed (roughly 1,800 fitful sleepers a year). It also answers questions most people never even consider (but should... read more

When severe illness or death strikes a member of your family or community, do you want to help but worry that you'll make matters worse? Your support and aid can make a difference - far more than you realise. In What Should I Say, What Can I Do? you'll discoverPractical advice on what to do at hospitals and funeralsThe right words of comfort to offerThe best ways to offer financial helpIdeas for special gifts that will keep memories of the deceased aliveDifferent activities to do with your bereaved friendStaying in touch and sh... read more

Offers advice for families who have suffered the death of a child, helping them understand their reactions and showing how to help surviving children cope with the loss

For a parent, losing a child is the most devastating event that can occur. Most books on the subject focus on grieving and recovery, but as most parents agree, there is no recovery from such a loss. This book examines the continued love parents feel for their child and the many poignant and ingenious ways they devise to preserve the bond. Through detailed profiles of parents, Ann Finkbeiner shows how new activities and changed relationships with their spouse, friends, and other children can all help parents preserve a bond with the... read more

This edition is Out of Print.

We all have sad stuff - maybe you have some right now, as you read this. What makes Michael Rosen most sad is thinking about his son, Eddie, who died. In this book he writes about his sadness, how it affects him and some of the things he does to try to cope with it. Whether or not you have known what it's like to feel really deeply sad, its truth will surely touch you.

In her first seminal book, ON DEATH AND DYING, Elisabeth Kubler-Ross identified the five stages of dying: Denial, Anger, Bargaining, Depression and Acceptance. In the years that followed, it became evident that these stages applied not only to the process of accepting death, but also to accepting other difficult and catastrophic life experiences.
With ON GRIEF AND GRIEVING, Kubler-Ross and LIFE LESSONS co-author David Kessler revisit the five stages in order to create a deeply empathetic and accessible guide for those in grie... read more

An all-encompassing guide for people with a terminal illness and those who know someone who is dying. Facing death results in more fear and anxiety than any other human experience. Though much has been done to address the physical pain suffered by those with a terminal illness, Western medicine has been slow to understand and learn to alleviate the psychological and spiritual distress that comes with the knowledge of death. In What Dying People Want, internationally renowned palliative care physician David Kuhl begins to bridge t... read more

First published 1998.

Gives an outline of the grieving process and the kind of reactions which occur when one is bereaved.