COMPASSION 212 Summer 2022

Summer 2022 - Compassion | www.tcf.org.uk 11 From Hole to Whole by Joy Sackett Wood The author of this book is an experienced therapist who runs a private practice in counselling and hypnotherapy. She is also a recently bereaved mother. Jack, her son, died on the eve of his fortieth birthday in late 2018 following a sudden illness. The book is a guide to understanding the process of bereavement in the mind and the body. It is interspersed with case studies from her professional work and her personal experience of losing her son. The chapters advise on building your levels of resilience to help you to cope better. The early chapters give clear advice on coping with grief. In the latter chapters the guidance is linked specifically to a belief in spiritualism that you can continue to communicate and converse with your loved one. The author advises attending a medium to assist that relationship. She describes how she has been comforted and supported by her beliefs and her experience of spiritualism. This view contrasts with those who view death as an ending and grief as learning to live without your loved one in your life. Anne McAreavey