Bearing the Unbearable

This book expertly explains the need to actively grieve, as opposed to avoiding the pain of grieving.

Dr. Cacciatore shares stories from grievers she has helped and she beautifully explains the complicated emotions we all go through as we grieve. I mailed copies of this book to my entire family right after my children were killed. It opened up the conversation of grief and made it clear that we were going to talk about Ruby and Hart and our grief openly.

I learned about Joanne Cacciatore from a close friend of mine, Lori, who unfortunately learned about traumatic grief when her husband died in his early fifties. Joanne (AKA Dr. Jo) started a respite center/care farm for grievers on her land in north central Arizona, where she specializes in grief after loss of a child; Dr. Jo lost a baby herself in 1994. This was another un-put-down-able book. Chapters are typically 4 pages long, each one introducing a different loss scenario, real people she has worked with, real losses, all of them horrifyingly unfair. The stories Dr. Jo tells are potent,… show more.