Lisa KeefauverGrief is a Sneaky Bitch
An Uncensored Guide to Navigating Loss
Lisa Keefauver is an in-demand grief activist, speaker and author. She began her career as a social worker and narrative therapist in 2004. She expanded her activism in a variety of roles: clinical director, non-profit co-founder, clinical supervisor, facilitator of personal and professional growth and healing, and mentor. Lisa's wisdom and insights on grief are also embodied from her personal losses, including the death of her husband Eric in 2011. Lisa's grief advocacy inspired her to found Reimagining Grief, with a mission to illuminate and dismantle the limited and misleading collective story of grief that causes so much unnecessary suffering. It also includes the intimate work of holding space and bearing witness for people as they navigate their grief journey. Best known for her interview skills as host of the top-rated podcast, Grief is a Sneaky Bitch, she has spent much of her time sharing her warmth, wisdom, humour and compassion facilitating conversations as a moderator on stages, as an organizational consultant to facilitate grief-smart companies, leading workshops and retreats, and as an individual grief guide. Lisa's unique approach to shifting our grief culture led to an invitation to teach the Loss and Grief course at the University of Texas at Austin.
1. Preface: Life Lessons Learned at the Bottom of the Ocean
2. Inviting You to Start Here: Orienting You to the Who, What, Where, When,
and Why of Grief
* Introduction: A Guide to Reading This Book
3. Time in Grief: Discovering How and Why Time Feels So Different
* the World’s Still Spinning
* Start Close in
* the Messy Middle
* Wait. Am I Still Grieving?
4. What the Hell Is Happening to Me? Helping You See the 360-Degree Impact of
Grief (No, It’s Not Just All in Your Head)
* Everything Sucks (And Other Negative Thoughts)
* This Is Your Brain on Grief
* Your Body Knows
* Too Much Too Soon
* Emotions and Feelings and Moods, Oh My!
* Another Full-Time Job
5. Relating to Yourself and Others (Or Not): (Re)Discovering Yourself and Your
Relationship to Others in Grief
* Everyone Is Stylish in Their Own Way
* Knowing and Honoring Your Needs
* Oh, the Places You Go and the People You See (And Why It’s
Exhausting)
* People Say Stupid Shit
* Who’s Got Your Back?
* of Course It’s Complicated
* Access Denied
6. Pitfalls and Hazards: Identifying the Grief Thief and Other Speed Bumps to
Navigating Loss
* Watch Out for the Grief Thief
* There Is No Grief GPS
* Ambiguity S-U-C-K-S
* Should Is a Dirty Word (And Not the Swearing Kind)
* Holidays, Anniversaries, and Other Grief Hazards
* Secondary Losses: The Sneakiest Bitches of Them All
7. Skills and Tools That Help Grief Suck Less: Discovering Ways to Soften the
Hard Edges of Grief
* Notice Mindfully
* Improv Skills Help
* Your Turn to Buddy-Breathe
* Seek a Creative Resource
* Make Space
8. Now What? Bringing Curiosity to the Emerging Story of Your Life
* the Beautiful, Messy, Emerging You
* Memories for Safekeeping
* Meaning Making (Even Though It Didn’t Happen for a Reason)
* When Grief Becomes a Part of the Story—but Not the Whole
9. A Little Extra
* Appendix A: An Alphabet of Reminders for Your Grief Journey
* Appendix B: A Letter to the Grief Supporters
* Afterword
* QR Codes for Guided Meditations
* About the Author
