Growing Through Grief: A Compassionate Guide to Finding Meaning and Purpose After Life-Altering Loss

A compassionate guide to growing, changing, and discovering meaning around loss.

If you've experienced profound loss you may feel numb, disoriented, or despondent. The last thing you want to hear is that "time heals all wounds." It sounds like an empty promise--one that negates the importance of what has passed. The truth is that you may never fully heal from loss--and that is okay. You can still go on to live a rich, meaningful, and vibrant life. This gentle guide will help you transform the overwhelming sadness of grief into validation, hope, and personal growth.

In this book, psychotherapist Alex Mammadyarov presents a step-by-step, comprehensive, and transformative process to help you cultivate present moment awareness, resilience, and self-compassion after the life-altering shock of a significant loss. You'll learn to ride the ebbs and flows of grief that rear up in the midst of painful anniversaries and events--so you can navigate your new reality, relieve suffering, and grow. You'll also find comfort and clarity as you face the challenges of our insensitive, "get over it" culture that prevents you from being fully seen during this difficult time.

It's time for a new way of looking at grief--one that is honest and vulnerable, and honors what's been lost. With this guide, you'll learn to grow through your grief--instead of moving past it--to create more meaning, purpose, and connection in your life.

Alex Mammadyarov, LMHC, is a New York-based psychotherapist and writer forging new standards for the ways we grapple with grief. She works individually with people who are processing all types of grief, including the loss of loved ones to both death and estrangement, as well as those going through transitions, encountering challenges in their interpersonal relationships, experiencing anxiety, working through trauma, codependency, or seeking to develop a stronger relationship with themselves. Alex holds a dual master's degree in counseling psychology and mental health counseling from Teachers College, Columbia University. Additionally, Alex has obtained training as a death doula from Alua Arthur's Going with Grace End of Life Training Program, and offers group therapy for those looking to process grief from the loss of a parent.

Alex has been a guest on numerous podcasts, and she's been interviewed on the subject of grief by Psychology Today and Keys Soulcare (a wellness brand founded by Alicia Keys). Alex has been a guest blogger on Remembering a Life, and she's also been featured in articles on Pop Sugar and Sunday Riley. Her popular Instagram account is a combination of compassionate, affirming notes on healing and honest conversations for those dealing with death and living with loss.

Foreword writer Marisa Renee Lee is an award-winning author, advocate, entrepreneur, and leading voice in navigating grief and uncertainty. As CEO of Beacon Advisors and founder of the Grief is Love Research Project, she's committed to helping people thrive during challenging times. She is author of Grief is Love: Living with Loss.