Chosen by Angela SchellenbergLicensed trauma therapist

Books for sudden or traumatic loss

Q: What is the best book to start with for sudden or traumatic loss?

Angela’s first pick on this shelf is Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief by Claire Bidwell Smith. In her words: “If grief has shown up as panic, racing thoughts, or insomnia, this names exactly why.”

Q: What other books does Angela recommend for sudden or traumatic loss?

Also on this shelf: Resilient Grieving by Lucy Hone, PhD; Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala; The Unspeakable Loss by Nisha Zenoff, PhD. Each one has a short note above on who it helps.

Q: Is there a guided journal for sudden or traumatic loss?

Yes. No Goodbye is Angela’s own guided journal for this loss ($14.99).

When the grief began mid-sentence.

Books for losses that arrived without warning, accidents, gun violence, homicide, sudden medical events.

4 books · each with Angela’s note on who it helps

See the books ↓Angela’s journal for this loss →

The 4 books

Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief Claire Bidwell Smith Angela saysIf grief has shown up as panic, racing thoughts, or insomnia, this names exactly why. View on Amazon

Resilient Grieving Lucy Hone, PhD Angela saysLucy is a resilience researcher whose daughter was killed in a car crash. The book she needed to read but could not find. View on Amazon

Wave Sonali Deraniyagala Angela saysSonali lost her parents, husband, and two sons in the 2004 tsunami. Her memoir is what surviving the unsurvivable looks like in writing. View on Amazon

The Unspeakable Loss Nisha Zenoff, PhD Angela saysA grief therapist and bereaved mother on the death of a child, written with particular attention to sudden and violent loss. View on Amazon

Angela’s journal for this lossNo GoodbyeA grief journal for sudden and unexpected loss.$14.99See the journal →

Common questions

What is the best book to start with for sudden or traumatic loss?

Angela’s first pick on this shelf is Anxiety: The Missing Stage of Grief by Claire Bidwell Smith. In her words: “If grief has shown up as panic, racing thoughts, or insomnia, this names exactly why.”

What other books does Angela recommend for sudden or traumatic loss?

Also on this shelf: Resilient Grieving by Lucy Hone, PhD; Wave by Sonali Deraniyagala; The Unspeakable Loss by Nisha Zenoff, PhD. Each one has a short note above on who it helps.

Is there a guided journal for sudden or traumatic loss?

Yes. No Goodbye is Angela’s own guided journal for this loss ($14.99).

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Grief support groups and hotlines

Hotlines, support groups, grief camps for kids, and online communities, sorted by type of loss.

See support organizations →