Finding the Gems: The Search for Meaning in Life's Traumas and Losses

Book excerpt: During her career spanning four decades as a Therapist, Dr. Gwen Hecht has often been asked by patients: "Why did that happen to me?" "Why isn't life more joyful?" "Why can't I have what others seem to have so effortlessly?" "Why do I feel stuck?" "Why didn't my previous therapy help?" "Was I born only to suffer?" "Where was God when this was happening?" "What is spirituality?" "How can I let go of my grief?" In Finding the Gems, she explores these themes, paying particular attention to how the losses and traumas we've experienced as children affect us in our adult lives. Even if your most significant losses or traumas occurred as an adult, lessons learned in childhood will inform your interpretation of adult experiences. Personalizing the work of the great Viennese psychiatrist, Viktor Frankl, she blends psychology, spirituality, humanism, meaning and purpose in a soulful and penetrating account of her own traumas and bereavement. She argues that finding the meaning in painful experiences is what can free each one of us to be who we want to be. Each chapter is introduced by a quote and concludes with a spiritual lesson that will help you find the gems in painful memories and experiences.