Books on Grief & Loss

Navigating Loss is Heather Stang’s most personal book, written for anyone whose grief does not fit neatly into what others expect. Through Heather’s own story, along with real-world stories from clients and others navigating loss, readers are invited to recognize their own experience on the page.

With compassion, practical tools, and metaphors drawn from nature and outdoor life, this book explores non-death loss, disenfranchised grief, and the life-changing transitions that can leave you feeling unmoored, even when the world expects you to carry on.

• Understand and validate your grief
• Develop mindful coping strategies
• Build resilience through reflection and ritual
• Reorient toward a meaningful future

“Navigating Loss is a clear and compassionate guide for people coping with various types of death and non-death losses. Heather Stang does a wonderful job weaving the evidence-based/research-informed current thinking about loss and grief with very relatable stories and practical tools to cope with and adapt to life’s unwelcome changes.”

Darcy Harris, PhD, FT
Professor and Thanatology Department Faculty Member of King’s University College

This foundational grief book helps you find steadiness in the midst of loss through mindfulness, meditation, journaling, gentle movement, and compassionate awareness.

It is built on the Mindfulness & Grief System, an accessible 8-step framework that gently guides you from overwhelm toward stability, meaning, and ongoing connection.

Originally published as Mindfulness & Grief, this updated edition offers a structured yet flexible approach that meets you where you are, without relying on rigid stages or pressure to “move on.”

Rooted in thanatology and mindfulness practice, this book weaves together contemporary grief theory and contemplative traditions to support healing of the body, mind, and spirit.

• Stay present with difficult emotions without becoming overwhelmed
• Create a sense of safety and stability within yourself
• Use compassion and forgiveness to soften pain and self-judgment
• Explore meaning, identity, and transformation after loss
• Maintain a continuing bond with the person who died
• Integrate grief into daily life through ongoing mindful practice

Rather than encouraging you to move on, this book supports you in moving forward, carrying both the memory of your loved one and a growing sense of peace.

“Heather Stang's Living With Grief is a must read and must have for those in grief and those who work with the bereaved and the traumatized. Mindfulness practices can help us hold what we think we cannot hold and bear what we believe we cannot bear. Heather makes learning and practicing mindfulness and meditation accessible and her approach is gentle and supportive....As both a professional therapist and a grieving person, I highly recommend this book.”

KARLA HELBERT, LPC, C-IAYT, E-RYT
Author of Finding Your Own Way to Grieve, Yoga for Grief and Loss, The Chakra System in Grief and Trauma

This interactive grief journal follows the eight-step Mindfulness & Grief System, helping you process loss through writing, reflection, mindfulness, and compassionate self-discovery.

With specific prompts designed to move you through your grief journey, this journal offers structure without pressure, whether you use it on its own, alongside Living with Grief, or as a thoughtful gift for someone who needs a gentle place to begin.

• Express complex emotions safely
• Explore grief with clarity and compassion
• Build resilience and self-awareness
• Move toward meaning and integration

“From Grief to Peace is a must resource for anyone wishing to incorporate mindfulness as a practice to effectively navigate grief arising from any life challenge.... Heather has developed diverse and creative activities that are effectively integrated with existing concepts in thanatology. There are easy to use self monitoring tools, which further empower individuals to take ownership of their own path. From Grief to Peace is also a must resource for human service and health care professionals who wish to incorporate effective mindfulness activities in their work with individuals presenting with trauma arising from grief.”

DAVE ROBERTS, MSW,LMSW
Adjunct Professor of Psychology and Psychology Child-Life, Utica College, Writer, Speaker on Grief and Loss Co-Author of When The Psychology Professor Met The Minister