Val Andrews

Beyond Blue Val Andrews

Grief is often associated with the death of a loved one. But there are many types of living losses that can cause grief, and a person's journey to recovery is as unique as the circumstances causing the grief. This book explains how creativity can be used as an aid to recovery and reconstructing life with more meaning and purpose after a significant loss. And for people who are already established in their creative practice, this book offers a number of unique exercises to enhance their approach. Part 1 explores what grief actually is - the various types of grief and what the experts say about the stages of grief and how to work through them. Part 2 of this book reveals the personal stories of several artists and writers - their journey through grief after a signifcant loss, and how they used their own creative process to get them through it. Part 3 introduces the concept of transformation after loss, using the butterfly metaphor. Part 4 provides several exercises and practice advice for using creativitiy to express and release grief in the short, medium and long term.