Monday, October 7, 2024

Review of "Finding Meaning" by David Kessler

David Kessler was a protege of Elizabeth Kubler-Ross's, and therefore, since Kubler-Ross's work was primarily about the dying, it is unsurprising that Kessler's work flips back and forth between grief, the bereaved, and dying.  This is not to say that the book is, precisely, disorganized, but the book, and it's contents, do flop, somewhat, from one topic to another, without much warning.

Most of the content is anecdotal.  There are some minor pieces of explanation, pointing out theories and potential mechanisms for getting locked in grief or distress, but the plural of anecdote is not data.  None of the material is new, or necessarily even particularly insightful.  The fact that anecdotes flip from one topic to another may, in fact, be of benefit for those in the initial stages of grief, where they have not managed to identify or analyze their own feelings or patterns of thought.  In this regard, and in the initial stages of mourning, reading through the flitting anecdotes may, randomly, happened upon something that is helpful or comforting for the bereaved.

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