Getting Back in the River by Sara Dumaine Brouillet, Ph.D is a grief recovery book. Using Biblical principles and the psychological progress of grief, Dr. Dumaine Brouillet guides the reader on the path recovery following a loss. It doesn’t what type of loss, a sudden death or a death after a long illness, the grief process of the individual left behind can be devastating. Her main tool is what she calls GBU letters. Good, Bad and Uglies letters are two letters written by the individual. One from the individual to the loved one who has passed. The idea is to bring out the hidden thoughts and feelings and make them conscious. This letter is then disposed of in a manner chosen by the writer after 72 hours of writing it. The second letter is written by the individual from the perspective of the loved one. Each letter will discuss the good about the loss, maybe the loved one suffered from a long illness and his or her death was a relief. The bad about the loss, maybe the individual wasn’t able to say goodbye in time. And the uglies about the loss, anything the individual hated, feared and other worse thoughts and feelings.
Getting Back in the River is a book rich with information with in-depth information about the grieving process and God’s Word. It was a bit more complicated read than I expected but the author is sincere in her guidance through the grieving process. Writing from her experience as a grief counselor, she offers personal experiences with clients. As the grieving process is a long and complicated journey for some, I recommend this book. As we will all suffer the loss of loved ones in our lives, we can benefit from the book’s insights and techniques.

Getting Back in the River
Is available in paperback and eBook