Official Website of Author
Diane Kirby
Demystifying Grief: What You Need to Know to Heal
#1 New Release Bestseller on Amazon
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Grief and the Spirit World: A Search for Comfort
Both available on Amazon, Apple, Kobo, Nook,
Google Play & friesenpress.com
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B O O K S
There are an estimated 258 million widows worldwide. Demystifying
Grief is a primer for women who've lost their partners. It is a
handbook on grief's physical, emotional, and behavioral effects and how to survive and heal. In June 2018, Diane Kirby's life partner
of forty-six years died suddenly and unexpectedly. In the aftermath, she discovered that the death of one's partner is a traumatic, painful, and incredibly solitary experience, particularly in a death-denying society.
Divided into two parts, this book deals first with survival, for when grief
is fresh, all one can do is simply exist. This section covers the most common reactions to grief, such as grief fog, triggers, and touchstones. The second part deals with healing, for there comes a time when grievers want to do more than just survive. This section covers topics such as grief work, rituals, and growth.
This book weaves social science and personal experience into a concise and compassionate guide, delving into the deeply necessary what, why, and how of grief.
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​What if, as we navigate loss and grief, our loved ones are walking beside us on the other side of the veil? What if we could learn to not only connect with our ancestors but also to Spirit?
In this personal memoir of grief and healing, Diane Kirby explores her family’s history with tragedy and spirituality, the sudden death of her husband and her overwhelming grief, and her journey back to the wisdom of her Scottish ancestors. Diane examines her parents’ remarkable abilities as Spiritualists, chronicles her own experiences with spiritual healings, and ultimately refines her own path to Mediumship. With self-help undertones, this memoir offers comfort in times of grief, resources for connecting to spiritual communities, insights on both seeking spiritual healing and refining Mediumship skills, and background on Scottish ancestry and generational wisdom.
Grief and the Spirit World: A Search for Comfort explores the complexities of grief—not only the sorrow, but also the hopefulness—and confirms that in grief, as we heal, we can help others.
R E V I E W S
Demystifying Grief
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This compact book packs a punch in terms of candid life lessons from an author who has been through the fire of grievous loss and come out stronger. The author is a lawyer, a seeker of fact and evidence while stumbling through grief, and she writes primarily for other women who are fumbling their way, too. This wise little book is a testament, an essay, a guide, and a vital tool. The reader feels prepared - and hopeful.
Whistler Independent Book Awards 2024
I have read a LOT of books in my lifetime and this was one of the most beautiful. There were moments I wept, and moments I chuckled to myself. Throughout, I thought of how many people will use this as a blueprint to help guide them.
K. W.
As a widow, I loved how the author's essays about her own love story and grief journey were relatable and validating. But it was when she went on to explain the "why" of it all, that her book rose above the competition for me. Her practical suggestions would be helpful to any griever.
M. M.
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BIO
Diane Kirby is a writer and retired lawyer who lives in Ontario (Canada). She began writing essays to process her grief following the death of her husband. To better understand the complexities of grief, she studied Thanatology at university. In her debut book, Demystifying Grief, she shared what she learned about grief.
Her follow-up book Grief and the Spirit World: A Search for Comfort describes her journey as she embraced her Scottish roots, Spiritualism and mediumship to further help her heal from grief. It was while healing, that she found that she, too, could heal others.
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