Welcome to the Commune podcast and this special masterclass with David Kessler.

I'm your host, Jeff Krasno.

David Kessler is one of the world's foremost experts on grief and loss.

He is the author of six books, including the bestseller,

Finding Meaning, the Sixth Stage of Grief. He has also co-authored two books with Elizabeth

Kubler-Ross, including On Grief and Grieving, which updated her famous five stages of grief.

When David was young, he witnessed a mass shooting while his mother lay dying in a hospital,

two events that propelled him towards what has become his life's purpose.

Now he counsels those experiencing grief, as well as teaching teachers, nurses, police, and first responders

about end of life and trauma. This episode of the Commune podcast is an excerpt from David Kessler's

commune course, Help for the Hurting Heart. You can watch this course for free for five days

at onecommun.com slash grief.

Over the next hour, David will introduce you to the river of grief.

If you think of grief as a river, you can better understand your experience with it.

Maybe you tiptoe slowly into the river or w wait into it for a long time as a loved one is

dying or your marriage is slowly ending. Others are thrown into the river of grief with just one

phone call with the news that someone has died suddenly. No matter how you go about getting into the river, David will help you

understand that the river of grief will take you towards your healing. It will take you where

you need to go. I hope David's words help you on your journey. What is grief? To me, grief is always the death of something. It is the death of someone we love.

It is also, you know, I think about a breakup

as the death of the relationship.

I think of a divorce as the death of the marriage.

...