Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief Workbook

by David Kessler

Love is the antidote for grieving with less pain.

When you experience grief, your world can feel overwhelming. It can be difficult to imagine a future. You feel lost and hopeless.

International grief expert and noted author David Kessler has spent decades working one-on-one with thousands of people experiencing the depths of their grief. He knows the pain deeply, personally. And he also knows the path to begin to find hope, and healing, again.

In this companion workbook to David's bestselling book Finding The Sixth Stage of Grief, you will come to understand your unique and personal experience with grief, begin to work through the hurt, and learn to grieve with more love than pain . . . because love never dies.

And it is in that love where you can find meaning.

Written with warmth, sensitivity, and unique insight, you'll feel like you are sitting with David, having a conversation along your path to healing.

The Finding Meaning workbook is filled

Self-reflective exercises Journaling opportunities Warmhearted guidance for releasing pain Navigation techniques for complicated grief Tools for guilt, rumination, and overwhelming feelings

Genres: Psychology, Grief

166 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 1, 2024

About the author

David Kessler David Kessler is the world’s foremost expert on grief. His experience with thousands of people on the edge of life and death has taught him the secrets to living a fulfilled life, even after life’s tragedies. His new book is Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. He coauthored On Grief and Grieving and Life Lessons with Elisabeth Kübler-Ross and You Can Heal Your Heart: Finding Peace After a Breakup, Divorce or Death with Louise Hay. He is the author of Visions, Trips, and Crowded Rooms, and The Needs of the Dying, praised by Mother Teresa.

David’s work has been featured in the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Business Week, and Life Magazine, and on CNN, Fox, NBC, PBS, and CBS. David has served on the Red Cross Aviation Disaster Team and has volunteed for decades as a Los Angeles Police Department Specialist Reserve Officer. He lectures for physicians, nurses, counselors, police, and first responders and leads talks and retreats for those dealing with grief.

Reviews

[Nicole VanderDoes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was reading Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief by David Kessler when I discovered this workbook to accompany it. The workbook is a practical way to not just read but actively learn from Kessler’s insights about finding meaning in the midst of pain. Both books are aimed at people relatively near in time to the death of their loved one (but not immediately after) or who are still in the midst of intense grief (including guilt, anger, and/or hopelessness) regardless of how long it has been since the death. This is because it is precisely by finding meaning that we come to need Kessler’s books a little less. If you have begun to find meaning, this book still offers useful tools, because grief doesn’t end. It will also help you be more compassionate to others who are grieving and better prepared when encountering the pain of grief in the future, since each death impacts us differently.

Kessler does an incredible job of normalizing all of the thoughts and feelings people might think are abnormal or unique. For example, he addresses feeling guilty about living when your loved one has died, obsessing about what you could have done to prevent your loved one’s death, and how hard it can be to interact with others after the death of a loved one. With examples of how he has helped others break through profound grief and exercises to help the reader begin that same process, Kessler shows it is possible to keep living while grieving. If you feel like you will never be happy or want to live again after the death of your loved one, please read this book and actually do the exercises. To read it is encouraging; to engage with it just might bring you back to life. The pain doesn’t go away, but Kessler makes a strong case it is possible for love to eventually take up more space than the pain.

One thing to know is it is important to read “Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief,” before or along with the workbook, because Kessler assumes the reader is familiar with the book on which the workbook is based. The workbook could stand alone on its own to an extent but is much more valuable as a complement to the book. If you read the workbook in a digital format or borrowed copy, be sure to have a notebook available to write out answers to the questions, because merely thinking about them won’t be as beneficial.

Thank you to PESI Publishing (Bridge City Books) and NetGalley for the privilege of reading a DRC of this book. All opinions are my own.

[Njamculovic N · Rating 3 out of 5]

When someone we love dies, that loss-and that love- has an amazing power to transform us. As devastating and painful as that event is,it can also connect you with people, nurture your creativity, and add movement to your life.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

David Kessler has worked in the field of grief and loss for many years, both in his own life and helping others in theirs, giving him the experience to offer this workbook on how to find meaning in loss.

Why "finding meaning"? David explains well in the book the part that finding meaning plays in the process of healing from grief, he calls it the sixth step of grief. That it is not necessarily about understanding, but making sense of what has happened, restoring hope and power to you. And this book is a valuable companion on that path.

This book is most suitable in the context of grieving the loss of a loved one. The earlier sections seem applicable to the broad spectrum of loss but later sections focus specifically on dealing with death. I found many of the exercises useful for myself and I can see how they could be used by others and in other situations for great benefit. They help you to gently wade into the pool of grief, not throwing you in the deep end, so you can work through and grow through it. It leads up to more challenging reflections, leading to growth around what has happened.

And be assured the book is not just worksheets, there is plenty of insightful guidance and explanation around grief and why these exercises are suggested and may be useful. The language is kind and compassionate throughout. This book is a supportive tool for anyone navigating their own journey through loss.

Thank you NetGalley and PESI Publishing for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief Workbook, is an exceptional workbook that provides applicable tools in walking through grief. In David Kessler's book of the same title, this duo can be used in showing the reader how it is possible to keep living while walking through a tragedy and dealing with grief. The workbook could stand alone as a tool to process your grief and feelings, as there are many exercises and encouragement throughout the book geared towards the healing phase of grief. The encouragement from Kessler can help guide the reader back to sense of "finding meaning" in their grief and can direct you towards living life again. The pain of grief may endure but it is necessary to recognize that LOVE can be the conqueror in the space of pain. I personally enjoyed working through the many exercises found within each chapter. A favorite quote from David Kessler, "The most beautiful flower grows out of the mud. Our worst moments can be the seeds of our meaning. They have an amazing power to transform us."
Thank you to NetGalley and PESI Publishing for the advanced review copy of this amazing book! All opinions are my own.

[Tsvi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must have for overcoming grief

I'm a therapist. I've been looking to enhance my skills for grieving clients.
What I found in many books and courses are more informative and less practical:diagnostics, what happens in the brain etc.

David's workbook take his ezperience with thousands of clients (individually and groups), and pack together practical helpful exercises.
Exercises are suited to the various phases of grief which makes it flexible, too.

Also, David's writing style is readable, and combined with his own grief on his son, makes it fascinating and enriching.
Highly recommended for both therapists and laymen!

[Gary Sturgis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent Resource for the Grieving Heart

I recommend this book to anyone grieving the loss of a loved one. David has a special way of mapping out how important it is to do the “grief work” that I believe is so important to healing a broken heart.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the workbook to accompany the book of the same name. A monumental work to help us take grief, a universal experience, and make it part of continuing to live a life with loss intertwined.

Thanks to PESI Publishing and NetGalley for an ARC of this book.

[Joyce Stratton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely fantastic. It should be recommended to anyone who is grieving.

David Kessler is an expert on grief and offers insights and help to those grieving the loss of a loved one. Very helpful to me in my grief journey.

[Richard · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent guidance and exercises for working through grief and finding your path forward.