Secondary Loss

There are often many losses that accompany the loss of loved ones that we may not realize have a significant impact on our life. They are secondary to our primary loss, but certainly not secondary in impact. Identifying these secondary losses can be helpful in understanding how you feel.

In this video series, Questions People Ask, Claire offers insights on a variety of topics, addressing some of the most frequently asked questions relating to our experiences of grief. If you would like more information, please visit: http://OpeningtoGrief.com. You'll find information about the book, upcoming events and opportunities to hear Claire speak on the many aspects of grief, and resources.

Opening to Grief: Finding Your Way from Loss to Peace (Dharma Spring, October 2020) is a warm and wise companion for anyone facing grief and sorrow. All of us experience loss; some of us lose a spouse, a child, our parents, a beloved pet, a dear friend, or neighbor. In the pandemic, we have lost hundreds of thousands of lives in the United States and around the world. Many have lost their livelihoods. All of us have lost our familiar daily routines and textures of work, family, and community. Claire B Willis and Marnie Crawford Samuelson's Opening to Grief is a guide to grieving, made more relevant during this tender time.

For more information, visit: http://OpeningtoGrief.com

Claire Willis is a clinical social worker who has worked in the fields of oncology and bereavement for more than 20 years. A co-founder of the Boston nonprofit Facing Cancer Together, she has led bereavement, end-of-life, support and therapeutic writing groups. For over a decade she co-taught Spiritual Resources for Healing the Mind, Body, and Soul at Andover Newton Theological School. Claire maintains a private practice in Brookline, Massachusetts with a focus on bereavement. As a lay Buddhist chaplain ordained by Joan Halifax, she focuses on contemplative practices for end-of-life care. For the past five years, she has been a student of Koshin Paley Ellison, a founding teacher at the New York Zen Center for Contemplative Care. Besides Opening to Grief, she is the author of Lasting Words: A Guide to Finding Meaning Toward the Close of Life. OpeningtoGrief.com

"Excellent and simple and as clear as a needed glass of water in the desert.
I cannot think of a better companion for our current time."
—Katy Butler, NY Times bestselling author of The Art of Dying Well"

"Grief can hit us as quickly as a bolt of lightning or silently creep up on us before we even know we're in its grip. Opening to Grief is a comforting and elegant collection of healing wisdom that offers differing paths to healing, through poetry, prose, mindfulness practices, art, and professional counseling experience. The perfect book for our times!”
— Sharon Salzberg, author of Lovingkindness and Real Happiness

"A wise and sensitive book, this guide to working with grief is a treasure.”
— Joan Halifax, Upaya Zen Center, author of Standing at the Edge and Being with Dying