Reader Notes

This book is for people at varying stages of grief, including people grieving non-death losses.

Recommended Audience

This book is recommended for adults and people who would like to support others who are grieving.

Review

april-book-club

Dr. Alan Wolfelt is inviting us to step outside, feel the grass under our feet, listen to the birds, breathe in some fresh air … and grieve. It’s the premise of one of his most recent books, “Nature Heals – Reconciling Your Grief Through Engaging with the Natural World,” which encourages us to embrace the healing power of nature to guide us on our grief journeys.

Whether you visit the local nature preserve, hike in the mountains, or simply relax in your own backyard, Wolfelt explains how immersing yourself in nature can help you actively engage with pain and grief; explore your spirituality; be physically active; and spend quality time alone (or with others). And when it’s not possible to get outside, Wolfelt offers simple ways to bring the outside in to create a peaceful, natural, indoor environment conducive to meditation and reflection.

I have long referred to grief as a wilderness. Ironically, when you bring your grief wilderness into a real wilderness, things start to make a little more sense.

There has perhaps never been a better time for us to embrace Wolfelt’s advice – a time when isolation and a wide variety of pandemic-related losses intersect to create unique and powerful grief. This short read is packed with simple ways you can engage with nature to reconcile your grief and begin to heal, and it’s small enough to take with you – perhaps on a walk in the woods!

Nature offers us that safe space where we can befriend our grief and change can begin to take place.

Discussion Prompts

  1. Describe your ideal natural environment. What would you like to do there? How long would you stay? Would you be alone or would you invite others to join you? How can you make this experience a reality?
  2. How might nature help you explore your own grief?
  3. Have you had powerful experiences in nature that have guided you in your grief? How did those experiences help you heal?

About the Reviewer

This book was read and is recommended by the Remembering A Life team.