Book Review: Healing the Hurt Spirit by Catherine Greenleaf

Have you ever wished you could wake up each day to a gentle voice whispering words of comfort and encouragement in your ear? With Catherine Greenleaf’s Healing the Hurt Spirit: Daily Affirmations for People Who Have Lost a Loved One to Suicide, you can.

Starting on January 1st and proceeding through the entire year, Greenleaf presents a new topic important to survivors, offers a short (one page or less) discussion, and ends with a healing affirmation. For instance, her topic for August 3 is “Home Sweet Home?” and her affirmation is, “My home is my sacred sanctuary. Today I will do what I need to make it sacred once again.” Other topics include “Suicide and the Media,” “Speaking the Truth,” “Rage,” and “Emotional Attachments.”

The author also offers a few memorable slogans. My favorite is, “If you want to heal, you have to feel.”

While fully acknowledging the pain and grief that suicide can cause, every word in Greenleaf’s book offers hope and healing. She also shares her own experiences as a suicide loss survivor.

As we begin the new year, take a moment to consider Healing the Hurt Spirit as a gift for yourself. Whether you’re a new survivor or you’ve been dealing with your loved one’s death for years, this wise, comforting book will help you take the next steps in your healing process, one day at a time.