Seeing the Problem

If you are reading this book, there is a high probability that your heart is broken.

It may have been caused by a death, either recent or long ago.

It may have been caused by a divorce or the breakup of a romantic relationship.

It may have been caused by any of the more than forty other losses that a person can encounter during a lifetime.

It could be caused by an awareness that your life is not as happy or fulfilling as you want it to be.

Regardless of the cause of your broken heart, you know how you feel, and it probably isn’t good.

We are not going to tell you how you feel. You already know. And we will not tell you, “We know how you feel,” because we don’t. Neither does anyone else. At best, we remember how we felt when our losses occurred.

Even though you’ve endured painful changes in the circumstances of your life, we are going to tell you what actions you need to take to regain a sense of well-being.

HOW TO USE THE GRIEF RECOVERY HANDBOOK

Don’t jump ahead in your reading of this handbook. There is a difference between those who resolve their pain and those who don’t. The ones who recover follow a well-defined plan. We want you to follow such a plan so that you can be successful.

This handbook is designed to give you the information necessary to recover from loss. It has much to offer anyone who truly wants to feel better. It will allow you to choose completion and recovery rather than isolation and avoidance. If you use it, one word at a time, it will accelerate your recovery tenfold.

Throughout the text are suggestions, notes, and guidelines. Please don’t take any shortcuts. They can lead you unwittingly right back to old ideas that still won’t work. Stay on track with this program and with your recovery.