Grief, Forgiveness, Acceptance, and Rejection by Dr. Daniel Brubaker

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

Healthcare providers and the public had no education about how to conduct end of life grieving until 1969 when Dr. Elisabeth Kübler-Ross published her experiences with hospice patients who were at the end of their life. She was a Swiss-American psychiatrist, a pioneer in near-death studies, and author of the internationally best-selling book, On Death and Dying (1969). In her book, Kübler-Ross discusses her theory of the five stages of grief, now known as the “Kübler-Ross model”. Since then, grief has been expanded into different areas other than end of life. 

This book also describes the five stages of grief and adds two more stages. It also delves deeper into the emotions involved in the grieving  process as well as how an individual manages many grieving areas, such as death, divorce, job loss, etc. 

The book is written for anyone going through a grieving process. The author believes pain, suffering, and grief are inevitable, but how to cope and improve life is only done with experience and knowledge. 

This book is not just about grief. It includes other emotions that come into play. Forgiveness is also associated with grief. The book discusses the different types of forgiveness and how each one functions. Understanding the emotions involved with forgiveness helps relieve the pain of hostility and grudges a person may hold. 

Acceptance is the last stage in Kubler-Ross’s five stages of grief, but the author takes this a step further into social acceptance, which also plays a role in grief. He discusses acceptance by others, such as friends and family. He includes rejection by others, which can produce grief. He also discusses acceptance of others, such as people of other races, gender, etc. Rejection of others, such as being prejudiced, can lead to grief by the victims and others around them. 

The author states that he felt compelled to write about all the hatred, pain, and suffering causing grief around the world. He wrote with empathy for his patients who grieve. The book is written from a research perspective, but also contains the author’s personal experiences.