Gaining Traction: Starting Over After the Death of Your Life Partner

by Vicki Panagotacos PhD FT

If you think this is just another book about coping with the loss of a partner... You’re in for a surprise! Based on her long-running class “Gaining Traction,” grief counselor Vicki Panagotacos delivers a step-by-step program that will open your eyes to a new way of life. Panagotacos helps you think clearly about what you want — and don’t want — as you move forward after loss. Tapping into personal stories told in her classroom, backed by research that reveals what secretly drives many of our decisions, Panagotacos gets you emotionally prepared to go after the life you deserve. So, if you have a busy calendar but little joy… if you’re constantly second-guessing yourself… if the thought of another relationship makes you cringe... by the end of this book you will have the tools harness anxiety and deal with uncertainty; be ready to commit to experiences not previously considered; and know when to say “yes” or “no” to that new relationship. EDITORIAL Gaining Traction is an invaluable resource for anyone who has lost a life partner. I recommend it without reservation. Counselors will also find this user-friendly volume a “must-have” reference. - Janice Nadeau, PhD, FT, Psychologist, Marriage and Family Therapist Vicki Panagotacos has an uncanny ability to tune in to her clients, which makes her one of the best grief practitioners I have known. Her caring, supportive presence has translated well into her book, Gaining Traction. - Lyn Prashant, PhD, FT, Somatic Grief Specialist Readers will feel Vicki’s understanding of their experience and be enriched by her suggestions. Excellent book for clients and for pastors, therapists and counselors. I recommend it with a full heart. - Eric Greenleaf PhD, Psychologist and Director, Milton H. Erickson Institute/SF Bay Area Gaining Traction has been the foundation of our 2nd year partner loss program. I am thrilled that others will have the benefit of Vicki’s meaningful and helpful book. - Chris Taich, MSW, LCSW, Director, Bereavement Services, Pathways Home Health and Hospice Gaining Traction offers the bereaved partner hope and practical insight into how to move forward. The reader will appreciate the reflections of those having struggled in their first year of loss and their transformation after the author’s second year class. - Brad Leary, LCSW, CT, Director, Social Services and Counseling, Hospice of the Valley, San Jose, CA Vicki Panagotacos clearly understands the challenges a person faces when dealing with one’s grief and brings a wealth of knowledge and compassion to this book. - Dwight Wilson, CEO, Mission Hospice, San Mateo, CA I had the pleasure of working with Vicki and the Gaining Traction material during my second year of grieving the loss of my husband. Her class was such a radical change from my first year support group that my initial reaction was resistance. The work soon shifted my attention and I understood that I had to make some changes—and that I could actually choose what I would change. The experience was the best thing that could have happened to me, and I ended up with a better life than I had before my loss. I will be forever grateful to Vicki for the work she inspired me to do. - Fran D. I love this book. Vicki provides a wealth of wisdom and a roadmap for how to accept and move forward after deep loss. Read and reread this at your own pace – but read it. It is a must-have book for getting back to living fully. - Paul S. It has been three years since my husband passed away. I have come a long way, but I still had issues that need to be dealt with. In reading Gaining Traction and doing the exercises, I found the incentive to start the process. - Becky B. After my spouse died I attended grief counseling for two years, but after reading Gaining Traction I realize that counseling just skimmed the surface. I wish I had had this wonderful fully-packed reference 10 years ago. Better late than never! - Michelle B.

170 pages, Paperback

First published April 20, 2014