As a therapist specializing in bereavement and one who has experienced significant personal loss, Catherine Sanders points out that we all go through common experiences or phases in dealing with grief. She defines and explains in detail the five distinct phases--shock, awareness of loss, conservation and the need to withdraw, healing, and renewal. In addition, the book examines different experiences of grief, whether it's the death of a child, parent or spouse; discusses the factors that increase problems in resolving grief such as age, gender and religion; and offers compassionate guidance for working through each stage of the mourning process.