David Kessler is one of the world’s foremost experts on grief and loss. David’s personal experience as a child witnessing a mass shooting while his mother was dying in a hospital shaped his career and passion for healing. He is the author of five bestselling books, including You Can Heal Your Heart with Louise Hay. He co-authored two bestsellers with the legendary Elisabeth Kübler-Ross: On Grief and Grieving and Life Lessons. His first book, The Needs of the Dying, a #1 best-selling hospice book, received praise by Mother Teresa. His newest book from Simon and Schuster is called Finding Meaning: The Sixth Stage of Grief. David is the founder of Grief.com, an invaluable resource to millions who are grieving.
Finding Meaning: The Afterlife and Continued Connections
Even as a grief expert, David was unprepared for the sudden death of his son, who died at age 21. People asked him, “What’s it like for the grief expert to lose his son?” He would answer, “The grief expert did not lose his son, the father did.” Everything he knew about grief turned out to be true, but he found himself wanting more. He found an expected meaning in the exploration of the afterlife. He learned that healing occurs not when grief gets smaller, but when life gets bigger. This led to the discovery of the sixth stage of grief.