Grief Recovery Institute® Guidance Center
John W. James
Founder of The Grief Recovery Institute®
Co-Author of The Grief Recovery
Handbook & When Children Grieve
Russell Friedman
Executive Director
Co-Author of The Grief Recovery
Handbook & When Children Grieve
Ask John & Russell
Tributes.com is pleased to present Ask The Grief Recovery® Experts. In addition to the regularly published articles featured in the Grief Recovery® Guidance Center, Russell Friedman and John W. James have agreed to field and answer unique questions from our visitors. You are encouraged to send any grief-related questions that are troubling you or the people you care about. Russell and John will read all of the incoming questions and respond to those that will be of the greatest interest to the largest number of people. To submit a question, please complete the form below.
Ask John & Russell Archives
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Feeling half-way good, and then plunging down the emotional elevator shaft (Published 2-21-12)
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The emotional stimulus of certain songs or chronicling dates – like anniversaries and birthdays (Published 2-14-12)
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No matter how devasted you are by grief, you still need to motivate yourself to take actions that lead to recovery (Published 2-7-12)
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It hurts as bad as it did when it first happened, but when I think of it I get extremely angry. (Published 1-31-12)
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I'm getting tired of propping everyone else up. (Published 1-24-12)
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Love or union is the product of Truthful Communication. (Published 1-17-12)
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He was not only my father he was my best friend. (Published 1-10-12)
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Families are often torn apart when a parent dies. Why? In part because so many different and unique relationships are a recipe for emotional disaster (Published 1-3-12)
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On being "Ruled from the Grave" There's truth in that phrase, but Grief Recovery can break the bondage of that tyranny. (Published 12-27-11)
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Blaming yourself is of no value, and it keeps you from the actions that lead to recovery. (Published 12-20-11)
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Being "Stuck On a Painful Image" keeps us Stuck in the Grief (Published 12-13-11)
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Is Guilt the Right Word? Answering a two-pronged question from a hurting young woman. (Published 12-6-11)
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An eleven year old's upset reactions to questions about the deaths of her father and granny actually make sense (Published 11-29-11)
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Follow-up question on going on after someone dies - being a complete person again (Published 11-22-11)
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Many people struggle with their feelings about God following the death of someone important to them (Published 11-15-11)
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Explaining death to young children and to a child with special needs (Published 11-8-11)
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The problem with talking about how bad you feel is that it makes you good at feeling bad (Published 11-1-11)
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It's never too late to apologize (Published 10-25-11)
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What can I do other than force myself to cry to make people stop worrying about me? (Published 10-18-11)
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No statute of limitations on missing someone and feeling sad – or enjoying fond memories (Published 10-11-11)
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The person who is now gone, is the one person you need more than ever (Published 10-4-11)
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The impact of the death of a former spouse - often confusing and overwhelming! (Published 9-27-11)
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Say "I feel sad in this moment," instead of "I feel sad today." Today is way too long to stay stuck in one feeling. (Published 9-20-11)
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Unfortunately I Never Got the Chance to Thank Him for Everything (Published 9-13-11)
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Children's Damaged Relationships with Her Husband - Their Father - Creates Collateral Emotional Damage (Published 9-6-11)
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Has the Reality of My Loss Set in Yet? (Published 8-30-11)
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How Do I Accept the Things I Did? (Published 8-23-11)
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My daughter wants to take the plane to heaven to see her grandpa. (Published 8-16-11)
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Is it normal for an adult child to feel like this? (Published 8-9-11)
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With multiple deaths in a short period of time...just as we start being able to keep our head above the emotional waterline, another wave comes and pushes us under. (Published 8-2-11)
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Consumed by the death—or about the relationship—possibly both. (Published 7-26-11)
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It's perfectly normal and healthy to miss someone you love. What’s not okay is to live in constant pain. (Published 7-19-11)
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Is it always appropriate to go to a funeral? (Published 7-12-11)
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Great question—whether or not we “ever really recover” (Published 7-5-11)
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But for "one second earlier or one second later," our lives are changed forever. (Published 6-28-11)
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When the last interaction between people before one dies, was negative. (Published 6-21-11)
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The unanswerable question: How your life might have unfolded had he not committed suicide? (6-14-11)
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Your Broken Heart Talking! (Published 6-07-11)
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Alcohol can leave a trail of destruction in its wake! (5-31-11)
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“How can I tell them I love them when they are not here?” (Published 5-24-11)
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They want us looking good, feeling good, and being productive 3-5 days later! (Published 5-17-11)
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Trying “not” to think about it doesn’t work. (Published 5-10-11)
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Your life IS different than it would have been! (Published 5-03-11)
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Caught Between Medical Decisions and a Broken Heart (Published 4/26/11)
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How do you solve unresolved issues when the other person is dead? (Published 4/18/11)
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Will I ever feel normal again? (Published 4/11/11)
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Surprise when a great deal of emotion surfaces a substantial time after the death of someone important. (Published 4/4/11)
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Mutilple deaths, one after the other, makes us feel like we're drowning (Published 3/28/11)
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Follow-up from Sam: Trite and Inane Remarks, and how to handle them (Published 3/21/11)
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Families and Legal Mayhem (Published 3/14/2011)
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A Statement of Death is NOT Denial (Published 3/7/2011)
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The warm and fuzzies that never happened. (Published 2/28/2011)
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Tragic deaths compound our pain. (Published 2/22/2011)
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Some feelings represent your Broken Heart Talking. (Published 2/15/2011)
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Time and Intensity! (Published 2/8/2011)
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Adapting to the death of someone important to you (Published 2/1/2011)
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Grief Is Exhausting! (Published 1/25/2011)
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A tangled web of losses! (Published 1/18/2011)
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The emotional Novocain wears off. (Published 1/11/2010)
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Hopes, Dreams, & Expectations (Published 1/4/2011)
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The Victim’s families often feel as if “they” are on trial. (Published 12/28/2010)
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The Holidays – a perfect time to demonstrate the truth to your children. (Published 12/20/2010)
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Sadness and Joy are both normal. Pain is the option we want to remove. (Published 12/20/2010)
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I started to call her and then remembered she was gone! (Published 12/20/2010)
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Will I Ever Recover? (Published 11/30/2010)
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Stuck on a Painful Image (Published 11/20/2010)
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Pointing Friends in the Direction of Recovery (Published 11/10/2010)
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The Good, The Bad, and Sometimes, The Ugly (Published 11/3/2010)
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Have I Gone Crazy? (Published 10/15/2010)
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How do I deal with the anger I feel? (Published 10/1/2010)
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Find Local Support
If you or someone important to you wants help with grief: Look for a Certified Grief Recovery Specialist℠ in your community. The Grief Recovery Institute ® trains and mentors Certified Grief Recovery Specialists℠ throughout the United States & Canada.
See Russell and John's blog at Psychology Today
Workshops & Training Schedule
The Grief Recovery Institute ® offers Certification Training programs for those who wish to help grievers.
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February 2012
Seattle, WA -- February 24-27
Dallas, TX -- February 24-27
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March 2012
Birmingham, AL -- March 23-26
Princeton, NJ -- March 23-26
Los Angeles, CA -- March 23-26
